What Happens in Vegas
by Jayne Leigh
Summary: Marshall and Mary run into an old friend during a weekend off in Vegas and after pretending to be an engaged couple they end up doing something that will change their lives forever.
1. Chapter 1

**Okay, couldn't resist starting a new story! I hope you like it! Please review! **

**Enjoy!**

**What Happens in Vegas.**

"Seriously, how did you manage to convince Stan to let us have the weekend off?" Mary questioned her partner as they strolled into the hotel.

They were meant to be transporting a new witness from Las Vegas to Albuquerque but there was a change of plan at the last minute. When they arrived in Vegas, they were told they were not needed and Marshall had somehow got Stan to agree for them to stay put and have a much needed vacation.

"What can I say, I'm the favorite." Marshall shrugged. "Besides, now we have no witness, there is nothing on the schedule so why shouldn't we take some time off when we can?"

"Well, whatever you said, thank you…I could do with a weekend with nothing to worry about but where we're going to eat and just how much liquor I can handle." Mary replied as they stood, waiting at the check-in desk. She was also looking forward to spending some time with Marshall. Since he had found out about her engagement, things had not felt the same between the two of them and they only got worse when he discovered she told Raphael that she worked in Witness Protection.

"There's a pretty cool aquarium here…"

"Oh no, buddy…I'm not leaving this hotel…They have a pool here, right?"

"You know, you can sit by the pool, eat and drink at home?"

"Yeah but here I haven't got a crazy family to drive me mad." She commented as they stepped up the check in desk.

Marshall shot her a look but turned her attention to the receptionist. "HI, we have a reservation under the name Marshall Mann?"

"Just one moment." She smiled and then started tapping on the computer. "Two adjoining rooms?"

"You sprang for two rooms?" Mary questioned and patted his arms. "Good going, partner."

"Hey, don't mention it…" He gave the receptionist a smile before looking back to Mary. "You owe me $160."

"We'll discuss it over dinner." She claimed snatching the key cards off the desk just before Marshall had chance to grab them.

"Thank you." Marshall turned back to the receptionist before following Mary to the elevators.

"So, how about we get settled in and then you can buy me dinner in an hour." Mary said as she pressed the button for their floor.

"What makes you think I'm buying you dinner?" He asked.

"Come on, Marshall…We go through this every time…You complaining about always paying but deep down you love to because of your warp way of thinking that no girl should have to pay."

"No, every time you try and convince me that's the reason when in actual fact it's because you're a taker not a giver." Marshall replied as they stepped off the elevator and walked side by side down the corridor. "And anyway, you're not a girl."

"Whatever, Doofus." She said as she unlocked the door to her room before tossing Marshall his keys. "See you in an hour."

Marshall rolled his eyes before letting himself into his own room.

XxXxX

In an hour's time they were back down stairs, waiting for to be seated at the hotel restaurant.

"You couldn't have booked a table?"

Marshall glared at her. "I believe it was me who sorted out the rest of this little vacation…How was I supposed to know they would be this busy?"

"Huh and here I thought you knew everything." She shot back. "But seriously, I hope you're not attached to your arm because I'm going to start eating it if they don't seat us in the next five minutes."

Marshall ignored her and instead picked up a broacher, advertising the local tourist attractions.

"Oh god…"

"Mare, have some patience for once, they'll seat us when they can." He said without looking up.

"We got to get out of here."

He looked up in alarm at her tone of voice. "What is it?"

"Look."

He turned and looked in the direction she pointed. "Is that...?"

"Yes."

"Tom Donnal? I haven't seen him in years…" Marshall started walking towards the man when Mary pulled him back. "Hey…"

"Let's go."

"Mare, what's going on?" He asked in surprise at her reaction. "I thought you liked Tom?"

Tom Donnal was a Detective for Albuquerque PD before transferring three years ago. Marshall had worked with him a few times, just liked they did with Bobby and he was a nice guy. He transferred not long after Mary had become his partner but they had met a few times.

"Oh crap! He's seen us." She glared at him and then grabbed his hand. "Follow my lead."

"What?" He frowned in confusion, looking down at the joined hands.

"Shhh!" She gripped his hand almost painfully but then stepped closer to him, cuddling up to his side.

"Marshall Mann?"

Marshall looked up from Mary and saw Tom was stood in front of them, grinning.

"Tom, hi…" He held out his free hand to him. "How you been?"

"I'm great, how are you? Still in New Mexico?"

"Yeah, nothing much has changed." Marshall replied and then gestured to Mary, who was holding onto him tight. "You remember Mary, right?"

"Of course…It's nice to see you again." Tom smiled at her. "So, you guys are still together? That's great. How long has it been now?"

"Almost four years now." Mary answered, smiling up at Marshall, which just confused him even more.

"Wow, that's really great." Tom grinned.

"I can hardly believe it myself…" Marshall said dryly causing Mary to grip his hand tightly again.

Tom opened his mouth to say something else when someone behind Marshall caught his eyes. "Uh, excuse me for a minute."

They watched him walk across the room towards a blonde woman and one of waiters. Marshall waited until he was out of ear shot before turning to Mary.

"Want to explain what all that was about?" He asked.

"What? It's nothing…" She shrugged.

"We've been together four years?" He questioned.

"It wasn't a lie."

"No, but I get the impression he thinks we're more than just partners."

"Alright, I may have implied we were in a relationship…"

"I'm sorry?"

"He kept asking me out and wouldn't take no for an answer…"

"And I somehow ended up as your boyfriend?"

"I was trying to let him down gently!"

"When have you ever done anything gently?"

"I had just transferred and was trying to turn over a new leaf…New job, new house, new partner…That damn juice diet!" She threw her hands in the air. "I thought I'd follow you example and try to be nice to people!"

"Your definition of being nice is lying to someone about your relationship status?"

"I didn't say I was good at it." She glared at him. "Besides, I didn't even occur to me that we would still be partners four years later and run into him."

"Why carry on with the lie?" He questioned. "Why not just say we're not together?"

"Oh and how pathetic would I like, admitting I lied about having a boyfriend?"

"Since when do you care about what people think?"

"Look, what's the big deal? It's not like we're going to see him again."

"Hey guys, our table is ready and it's big enough for four if you would like to join us." Tom appeared behind them.

Mary spun around to look at him but before she could answer, she saw a grin slowly growing on Marshall's face and turned to shot him a warning look but it was too late.

"We'd love to!" Marshall accepted, putting his arm around Mary's shoulders.

"But we can't intrude on your night…" Mary added, trying to inch away from her partner but he held her tightly to his side.

"Oh, you wouldn't be…We never get chances to spend time with other couples." Tom replied.

"Besides, you were just saying you were so hungry you were going chaw off my arm…I wouldn't want to lose a limb." Marshall said, still grinning. "Come on, honey…It'll be fun!"

"Right, that's settled then…" Tom clapped his hands together. "Follow me."

"You are so dead!" Mary muttered as Marshall pulled her along.

"Is that how you speak to your boyfriend of four years?"

"I think we're heading for a very immediate break up."

Marshall held his hand over his heart in mock hurt.

"This is my wife Lilly…" Tom introduced when they reached the table. "Honey, this is Marshall and Mary, I used to know them when I was in New Mexico."

"It's nice to meet you." Lilly smiled and shook hands with the two of them.

"You too." Marshall replied politely. "It's nice of you to allow us to join you."

"Oh please, I see this guy all time." Lilly gestured towards Tom, jokingly as they all took their seats. "It's nice to talk someone else for a change."

Marshall chuckled and even Mary smiled but Tom just ignored her as he ordered a bottle of wine.

"So, how long have you been married?" Marshall questioned.

"Two years now." Tom shared a smile with his wife. "We met just after I transferred to California."

"What about you two?" Lilly asked. "Have you been together long?"

"Coming up to four years now, right, babe?" Marshall asked as he looked at Mary with a smirk on his face.

"Yeah, about that." Mary glared at him.

"So, you both still in the Marshal Service?" Tom questioned. "I thought it would cause a problem when partners start dating?"

"It's frown upon but we have an understanding boss." Marshall replied as the waiter returned with wine. "Besides, no one else would last five minutes as her partner."

"Oh you say the sweetest things…" Mary said mockingly, reaching for her glass.

"That's a lovely ring…How long have you been engaged?" Lilly asked.

Mary looked down at her left hand and realized she was wearing her engagement ring. "Uh, a couple of months now."

"Well, congratulations…Now, we got something to celebrate tonight." Tom grinned. "Have you set a date?"

"It's a bit difficult with work and everything…" Mary commented.

"And we want something big and fancy…The wedding Mary has dreamed of since she was a little girl." Marshall reached over, placing his hand on top of hers.

Mary looked at him and gave him a fake smile. "Also, Marshall's mother would kill us if we never…it's important to her and Marshall cannot disappoint his Mom…I mean, she goes crazy if she doesn't speak to him every day."

"Yeah, well…what can I say? I'm the perfect son." Marshall shot back, playfully.

"Are you ready to order?" The waiter re-appeared, cutting off Mary's comeback.

Once they had all decided what they wanted, Lilly and Tom excused themselves to go make a phone call home to check with his Mother, who was babysitting their daughter.

As soon as they were alone, Mary kicked Marshall hard, under the table.

"Ow!" He glared at her. "What was that for?"

"You're enjoying this too much!"

"Oh come on, it's just a bit of fun!" He grinned. "Besides, you got us into this mess."

"God, I can't believe I have to act like I'm engaged to you."

"What's with the ring anyway? I thought you didn't like wearing it when you were at work?"

"Raph gets all crazy if he sees me not wearing it…It's easier just to put it on to keep the peace…I must have forgotten to take it off again."

Marshall raised an eyebrow. "Why haven't you told him you don't like it?"

"It's an engagement ring that he chose…I can't tell him that."

"Mare, you're meant to wear it for the rest of your life…do you really want to be stuck with something you hate forever?"

"What I really want his not to having this conversation right now." She replied. "And I would also really like it if my fiancée, fake or otherwise would stop trying to embarrass the hell out of me!"

Marshall grinned. "Where's the fun in that?"

"Just remember, I have just as much embarrassing crap on you as you do on me?"

"I very much doubt that…"

"Mumbo classes, origami…"

"Why would that embarrass me?" He asked.

"Oh god, I forgot you are such a geek!"

"And you're marrying me." He grinned. "That makes you, my geekette."

"Call me that again and I'll rip your tongue out of your throat."

"Again with the violence….I'm telling you I won't put up with it when we're married!"

Mary leaned in closer to him but before she could do any bodily harm, she felt his lips on hers. After a few stunned seconds, she pulled back and stared at him opened mouth.

"Hey, sorry we were so long." Lilly said, sitting down.

"But looks like you found a way to entertain yourselves." Tom teased, lightly.

"Everything okay at home?" Marshall asked, changing the subject and trying not to laugh at the look on Mary's face.

"Yeah, she's fine…Doesn't even miss us." Lilly sighed.

"It's the first time we've left her." Tom explained. "But it hasn't seemed too scarred for life."

"Mary, are you okay?" Lilly frowned, looking at her in concern.

"What?" She finally turned from Marshall to look at her and then shook her head a little. "Sorry, I'm fine…"

Their starters arrived before anyone could say anymore. As they ate, Tom told them all about what he had been up since leaving Albuquerque. By the time their mains arrived, they were all relaxed and having a good time. Both Mary and Marshall had stopped trying to embarrass each other and just enjoyed the night.

"We should meet up tomorrow." Tom suggested as the four of them entered the elevator at the end of the night.

Lilly rolled her eyes. "Honey, they came away to spend some time alone…They don't want us crashing their vacation."

"How about we have dinner again?" Mary asked, surprising Marshall. "We can go somewhere outside of the hotel?"

"That sounds great." Tom grinned as the elevator stopped and they all stepped off.

"We'll meet you downstairs at 7:30?" Mary said, leaning closer to Marshall when he wrapped his arm around her shoulder.

Marshall glanced down at her as she discussed tomorrow night with Tom and Lilly. They had all drank quite a bit of wine and he knew that was the reason why Mary allowed him to hold her to him.

"Well, we'll see you tomorrow then." Mary stopped outside Marshall's hotel room.

Marshall opened the door and Mary followed him inside. When the door was closed, he turned to look at her.

"What?" She asked.

"You want to meet them tomorrow as well?"

"You didn't have a good time tonight?"

"No, it's fun…I'm just not sure what you're up to."

She rolled her eyes. "Nothing, Marshall…It's nice to have dinner with people who you can have grown up conversation with and not worry about a fight breaking out."

"Okay." He shrugged a little but not entirely convinced.

"Well, I'm going to bed." She headed for the adjoining door to her room but paused before she passed him to lean up and kiss his cheek. "Thanks for a great night."

Marshall's eyebrows rose as he watched her carry on to the door. "Uh, you're welcome."

"See you at breakfast." She said before closing the door behind her.

_**XxXxX**_

They spent the next day not doing much at all despite Marshall's attempts to get Mary to go to the aquarium but she refused to move from the pool side. When it came time to meet Tom and Lilly, the two of them had already had a few drinks in the pool bar.

"So, where do you guys want to go?" Tom asked.

"I heard about a sports bar down the road that has good food and good beer." Mary suggested and then glared at Marshall when he groaned. "What?"

"A sports bar?" He questioned. "We've been steadily drinking since 3 this afternoon, do you really think going to a sports bar is a good idea?"

"When we're on vacation I do."

"Sounds good to me." Tom agreed and slung an arm around Marshall's shoulder. "Unless you're worried about not being able to hold your drink?"

"Oh I can hold my drink." He insisted. "I've had a lot of practice keeping up with Mary over the last four years!"

"Then why are we still standing here?" Lilly asked. "Let's go."

"This is a bad idea." Marshall muttered as he grabbed Mary's hand, following the other couple out of the hotel.

"Oh lighten up!" She rolled her eyes.

Four hours later, Marshall was wishing he had gone with his gut feeling and not let them drag him along. He gripped onto the bar as the room swayed a little and tried to focus on what Tom was saying. Out of the four of the, Marshall knew he was the less drunk but he knew he wasn't far behind them.

"You know, I never believed her…" Tom shouted over the music to be heard.

"What?"

"Mary." Tom gestured to the table where Mary and Lilly were waiting for them to return with the drinks. "When she turned me down and said it was because she was dating you…I thought it was just an excused."

"Really?" Marshall laughed nervously.

"Yeah but I can see I was wrong." He continued. "You two are great together…You can tell you're crazy about each other."

"Uh, thanks, Tom…"

"I mean, that way you talk and look at each other…"

"We better get back over there before they get bored of waiting." Marshall grabbed all four bottles of beers.

"Yeah, I'll be right over."

Marshall nodded and stumbled once as he walked over to join the girls.

"I was just about to send out a search party." Mary commented, taking two bottles from him and handed on to Lilly.

"You could always go get your own next time." Marshall replied, sitting down.

"That's what I have you for." She said before downing half the bottle of beer in one mouthful.

Marshall sighed, shaking his head a little and placed his own bottle down, deciding someone needed to stop drinking.

"Here we go." Tom appeared, placing a tray on the table.

"Tequila shots!" Mary cheered, throwing her hands in the air.

"You know, I was thinking…if planning your wedding is driving you crazy…why don't you get married here?" Tom said, dropping down into his seat.

"What?" Marshall looked at him.

"Get it over with." He replied. "It'll be a lot cheaper and less stressful."

"Get it over with?" Lilly repeated, slapping his upper arm. "Romantic!"

He smiled at her innocently. "I never meant it like that…"

"We can't get married here." Marshall shook his head.

"Why not?" Tom asked.

"Yeah, why not?"

Marshall turned and stared at Mary with wide eyes. "You are not serious!"

Mary shrugged. "I've heard worse ideas."

"That's the drink talking…" Marshall shook his head slightly, watching as she downed a tequila shot. He had to close his eyes when the room spun and he felt the sudden urge to throw up. When he re-opened his eyes, he saw Mary was stood over him, with a second shot glass in her hand.

"Marshall…" She sat down on his lap and pressed the glass to his lips. "Just relax and have some fun."

She tilted the glass, forcing him to swallowed the liquid. He grimaced at the taste and shook his head again. "I told you coming here tonight was a bad idea…"

**TBC**

**Please review! **


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey, here's the next chapter! Hope you like it! Please review! **

**Enjoy! **

**What Happens in Vegas**

Mary groaned as she woke but froze when she noticed her dry mouth and the nauseous feeling; all telltale signs of a hangover. Carefully, she lifted her head but let it drop back down and moaned when the pounding started.

"Oh god….." She mumbled into the pillow.

She tried to think back to the previous night but all she could remember was her and Marshall beating Tom and Lilly four times at pool.

Taking a deep breath, she rolled onto her back and brought one hand up to brushed her hair out of her face. After another couple of minutes of lying completely still, she slowly opened her eyes. She quickly placed her hand over them to block out the blinding light.

"God damn sun…" She mumbled. "Wait a minute…"

She uncovered her eyes and looked around. "This isn't my room…"

When she went to push herself up, her hand came in contact with another hand…Someone else hand. She whipped her head to the side and sighed in relief when she saw it was just Marshall and that he was fully clothed, onto top of the covers, sat up against the headboard.

"Marshall…" She pulled herself up using his arm and was glad that she was dressed in her pajamas. "Marshall?"

He jerked awake but his hands immediately shot to cradle his head. "Oh my god…"

"Ha, I'm glad I'm not the only one." Mary muttered, falling back against the headboard beside him. "What the hell did we do last night?"

"I have no idea but whatever it was, I remember it was your fault." He screwed his eyes shot tightly.

"Do you remember anything after the pool games?" Mary questioned, knowing there was no point in arguing with him, he was probably right.

"Tequila shots."

"Oh yeah…"

"Had to be down to you…" He continued. "I never willing do tequila shots."

"Why aren't we in our rooms?" She asked, looking around again.

"We're not?" His eyes opened. "Our bags are here…"

Mary glanced across to where he was pointing. "Why would we decide to book a new room?"

"I don't know." He rubbed his eyes. "But we've done crazier things in the past after getting drunk."

"That's true." Mary agreed and reached over to the bedside table for her cell phone. "It's already 1pm…I can't remember the last time I slept this late."

"I'm happy to go back to sleep for another couple of hours…" He sighed and reached up to rub the back of his neck. "Maybe in a lying down position…Why did I think it would be a good idea to sleep sitting up?"

"You were being a gentleman…" Mary said slowly, a flash of memory coming back to her. "And you wanted to keep guard."

He glanced across at her. "Guard from what?"

"Oh, who the hell knows?"

"Well, it's your turn now…I'm going to sleep like a normal person…" He scooted down the bed and pulled a pillow on top of his head.

Mary stared down at him for a few seconds, her mind trying to remember why Marshall felt like he needed to protect her.

She remembered the pool games and then tequila shots that Tom had brought. She narrowed her eyes at her partner when she remembered sitting on his lap. Shaking her head a little, guessing that they had just been keeping up the lie of being a couple.

Sighing, she swung her legs out of the bed but gripped onto the edge when the room spun. She let her head fall back and then rolled her shoulders. She needed some water and aspirin…Maybe some fried food.

She had another flash from the night before of her and Marshall sharing a cheese burger. Then she remembered taking off her engagement ring and throwing it across the burger joint.

"Oh my god…" Her eyes widened. Not only had she thrown away her ring but Marshall had crawled under three tables looking for it and she had got angry at him because of it. He must have found it because she could feel it on her finger but then she looked down and saw the ring she was wearing was not her engagement ring.

She titled her head slightly to look at the cheap yellow gold band.

"Marshall…" She said slowly but got no reply so reached behind her to shake him. "Marshall!"

"Hey, quit it!" He swatted her hand away.

"No, Marshall we did something really stupid! You got to wake up."

"Whatever the price of this room is, we'll spilt it." He mumbled, from under the pillow, guessing that was what she was talking about.

"Marshall…"

"Fine, I'll pay for the whole damn thing…Just let me sleep for another hour!"

"We got married last night."

He rolled onto his back but only pulled the pillow off half way so he was looking at her with one eye. "That's not funny."

"Oh, believe me I know."

"I'm going back to sleep." He let the pillow drop down again.

She let out a frustrated groaned, grabbed it and threw it across the room. She then lifted his left his and placed hers beside it so he could see the matching rings.

"No." He shook his head. "No."

"I think this tops that time we TP'ed Stan's house on the stupid things we do whilst drunk list."

"Mary…We can't…" He sat up, still staring at their hands. "I said no!"

"Saying no now isn't going to make it go away, idiot!"

"I remember last night I said no!" He insisted and then pointed at her accusingly. "And you kept giving me tequila!"

"And you kept saying no." She added. "So, how the hell did we end up with wedding rings on our fingers?"

"You dragged us to the wedding chapel." Marshall supplied. "After that Tom and Lilly decided to head back to the hotel."

"I wanted to go to see if it was the same place were Mark and I got married…"

"Right." Marshall agreed. "Wait, who's Mark?"

"I told you about Mark last night."

Marshall thought for a moment and then remembered. "Oh yeah, some High School boyfriend who you ran off to get married with…"

"I was 17 years old…stop with the judgmental tone."

"I'm just saying…"

"Hey, running and getting married quickly is an easy mistake to make." She held up his hand again to prove her point. "Obviously I just don't learn from mine but…"

"Why the hell did we go through with it?" Marshall muttered, mostly to himself. Now he was thinking about it, he can remember repeating the vows and signing the documents.

"I said I wasn't ready to set a wedding with Raph." Mary said softly, her stomach turning at the thought of her fiancée.

"And you told me that if I married you then you wouldn't have to." Marshall sighed. "That it was my job to protect you from making a stupid mistake."

"I am never drinking again." Mary fell backwards onto the bed, covering her eyes again.

"Mare…" Marshall started, hesitantly reaching out to squeeze her hand. "We can fix this."

"I married a man who wasn't my fiancée."

"I know but no one has to know." He told her. "We can get it annulled."

"And it'll be that simple?"

"I'm sure we fall into several of the categories eligible for annulment and it's not like we actually slept together." He shrugged. "Technically, you didn't cheat."

"I can't believe even on our wedding night you were the perfect gentlemen…" She removed her hands to look up at him. "I remember now what it was you were protecting me from last night."

"What?" He frowned a little.

"From making the mistake of being unfaithful."

"Well, it would have made working together awkward after seeing each other naked." He gave her a small smile, trying to lighten the mood.

She couldn't help but return the smile. "Probably would have given us nightmares."

He let out a small laugh and started to get up.

"I thought you wanted to sleep…" She watched him stand up.

"I'm going to jump in the shower…then we should get some lunch." He stretched his muscles. "I'm starving."

"Okay, sounds good." She agreed.

She got up and picked up her bag to look for some aspirin when she heard him groan.

"What?" She glanced up and saw him stood in the doorway to the bathroom.

"I just remember that I put this room on my credit card…and how much it cost me."

He remembered demanding the hotels best honeymoon suit.

Mary smirked. "That'll teach you to get drunk and elope."

"You're paying half!" He insisted before closing the bathroom door behind him.

_XxXxX_

Once they had both showered and got dressed, they headed down to the restaurant where they ordered way too much food for just the two of them.

"Hey, stop hogging the fries." Marshall tried to pull them towards him but she refused to let them go.

"Why don't you get your own?" She suggested, shoving six fries into her mouth at once.

He rolled his eyes and reached for the onion rings instead.

"So, we don't tell anyone about this?" Mary questioned. "We just get the annulment and carry on as normal?"

"Sounds like the best plan." He nodded.

"And you're okay with that?"

"What else do you suggest? We never meant to get married…you're actually engaged to get married to another man…" He replied. "We're just best friends who happen to do stupid things when we drink too much."

"Real stupid things…I have no idea how we're going to top this one."

"Have a little faith in us…Of course will find something to top this."

She smiled and they ate in silence for a couple of minutes before she spoke again. "You know, I would never want to do anything to hurt you or to damage our friendship, right?"

"Mare, you weren't the only one there." He told her. "I was actually saying no up until the point we actually walked down the aisle which probably means I wasn't as drunk as you and knew what we were doing was wrong."

"You think me forcing five shots of tequila down your throat didn't have an effect?"

"Let's just agree that we were both to blame." Marshall suggested.

"And after the paperwork is through, we can forget all about it."

"Yes."

"Hey guys…"

Marshall turned and saw Tom and Lilly heading over to them. "Hey."

"So, I got an interesting message this morning…" Tom grinned at them.

"Oh yeah…" Marshall shared a look with Mary.

"Yeah, here…" He pulled out his cell phone and handed it to Marshall.

"Oh look, Mare…A wedding picture." He held it out to her; he remembered now how he was worried his friends would be upset about missing the wedding.

Mary took the phone and stared at the photo of them. If it wasn't for the fact they were showing the wedding bands, you could not tell they had just gotten married.

"I can't believe you went through with it!" Lilly laughed. "Actually, I can believe Mary went through with but Marshall you were adamant it wasn't going to happen."

"Mary can be really persuasive when she wants to be."

"Well, congratulations." She leaned down and hugged Marshall first then Mary. "We're so happy for you."

"Thanks." Marshall answered, glancing at Mary again who still hadn't spoken.

"Is everything okay?" Tom asked.

"Yeah, sure, just the hangover." Marshall replied. "And trying to work out how to tell our families."

"I'm sure they'll understand." Lilly claimed.

"Maybe you don't have to tell them and just have a second wedding." Tom suggested. "Keep everyone happy."

"That might be a good idea." Marshall replied.

"Well, if you do…don't forget to invite us." Tom clasped a hand on his shoulder. "Anyway, we're about to head out…It was great catching up with you both."

"If you ever in California make sure you look us up." Lilly told them.

"Of course and if you come back to New Mexico…" Marshall started but then realized what kind of problems it would cause if they ever did meet up again.

"Next time the tequila is on you." Tom joked.

"You got it."

They both hugged Mary, who managed to mutter goodbye before they left. Marshall looked at his partner for a few minutes as she stared down at the plate in front of her.

"Mare?" He reached across and brushed his fingertip over the back of her hand to get her attention.

"What?" She lifted her head to meet his eye.

"What's wrong?"

"Other than having the world's worst hangover and accidently marrying my best friend?"

"Yeah, other than that."

"Marshall…" She started and then sighed. "I just…the picture…"

He frowned little. "The one of Tom's phone?"

"We actually look happy." She replied.

"We were pretty drunk." He reasoned.

Mary couldn't help but smile a little. "That's true."

Marshall pulled his own cell phone out and looked to see if the photo was still on there. Mary was right, they did look happy; even though both their left hands were in air to show off the rings, they were looking at each other.

"It's probably a good idea to get rid of this." He said after a few minutes of studying it.

"I guess…" She gave a small nod.

Marshall flipped the phone shut, deciding to delete it later. He glanced up at her and noticed she was looking at the ring. He wondered why she was still wearing it…He wondered why he was still wearing his too.

"Hey!" She complained when she saw him reaching for the fries.

"We're meant to be sharing." He replied, managing to grab some before she slapped his hand away.

"Thief." She accused.

He rolled his eyes and picked up his soda. "So, what do you want to do tonight?"

"I don't care…"

"Come on, Mare…we got one night left before we head home tomorrow. Let's make the most of it." The truth was he was worried things would become awkward between them if they didn't try to act like normal right away.

"I guess we could go out for some dinner…" She suggested. "A proper restaurant though not a sports bar and no tequila."

"You got a deal." He agreed. "We haven't hit the casinos yet either…Or a show…"

"Casinos, yes…show, hell no…"

"But…"

"No."

"Fine." He replied. "But I'm picking the restaurant…and it'll be a nice restaurant."

"Nice restaurant is just Marshall speak for fancy posh 'have everything on the menu in a different language' restaurant."

"And you say that like it's a bad thing…" He grinned at her.

"I'm not paying."

"I never thought you would."

_XxXxX_

They had gone to nice Italian restaurant and when their waiter had called Mary his wife, Marshall had told him they had only been married for a day. She had glared at him until she realized the waiter was making a big fuss and gave them a bottle of Champaign on the house. Marshall had just smiled and raised his glass to her, toasting his 'wife.'

He then ordered for them both since Mary didn't know Italian and she compared it to the time Raph had tried ordering for her. Not only had it pissed her off that he thought he had the right but he ordered something she hated. She didn't even care that Marshall just assumed he would be ordering because she trusted him to get it right.

They talked all evening about anything except work or her family and when their waiter had placed their check on the table, they look up and saw there was no one else there.

"I got it." Mary took it before Marshall could.

"My restaurant pick my treat." He held his hand out for it. "That's the rules."

"Yeah but it was my choice to get married and you footed the bill for that."

"And the honeymoon suit." Marshall added, wincing a little when he thought about the price again.

"Yeah, so I got this."

"I got to marry you more often if it means you pick up the tab for dinner after…"

"Shut it, Doofus." She shot him a look as she handed over her credit card.

They headed straight back to the hotel, neither of them feeling like going to any of the casinos. As they walked side by side, Mary kept glancing at Marshall. She knew she had been comparing him to Raphael all evening and knew it was probably not a good idea but she couldn't stop it. The worse thing was, Marshall was winning and by a long stretch.

When they got back to their room, they both stood and stared at the double bed.

"I could sleep on the floor…" Marshall suggested. "Or get another room…"

"Marshall." She cut him off. "It's fine."

"I don't want it to be awkward…" He sighed.

She turned to stand in front of him and ran her hands down his arms to his hands and threaded her fingers through his.

"Mare?" He whispered, looking down at her.

She lifted his left hand and stared at the gold band still on his finger. Marshall was expecting her to demand why he was still wearing it but instead she brought his hand to her mouth to kiss his ring finger.

"Mary…" He said again, but did not move away.

"Its fine, Marshall." She told him, now kissing the back of his hand.

"What's going on?" He asked, gently pulling his hand away from her.

She let go but didn't step back. She looked up and almost smiled at the confused look on his face.

"Ask me what I need…" She whispered, slipping her arm around his neck.

"What?" He asked frowning, his own hands held out to the side so he wasn't touching her.

"You always ask me what I need…" She replied. "Ask me what I need now."

"What do you need, Mare?"

"I need you." She leaned up, placing a kiss on the corner of his mouth.

"Mary…We can't…" His eyes flickered shut.

"I need my husband…" She ignored him and kissed the other side of his mouth. "I need my husband to make love to me."

He couldn't help but moan and when she covered his lips with hers, he kissed back. Wrapping his arms around her waist, he pulled her closer as she started to walk towards the bed.

She fell backwards, bring him down with her. He broke the kiss and opened his mouth to tell her they were making a big mistake but he couldn't, so instead brushed her hair out of face and kissed her again.

It might be for only one weekend but she was his and he was going to make the most of it.

**TBC**

**Please review! **


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey, thanks to everyone who reviewed or added this to their story alerts and favorite list. Please, please review! **

**I hope you like this and Mary is not too out of character! **

**Enjoy! **

**What Happens in Vegas**

When Marshall woke up, he immediately felt a body next to his and he knew exactly who it was and why she was there. He sighed quietly, wondering how he could be so stupid to sleep with his partner and ruin the most important relationship he ever had.

"You awake?"

He turned his head and saw she was led on her stomach, looking at him.

"I guess we found something to top getting married on the stupid things we do when drunk, list." He replied.

She smiled a little, her eyes dropping down for a second before she moved them back to meet his. "Marshall…I wasn't drunk."

He froze and just stared back at her, his mouth slightly open.

"I mean, I know we had that bottle of champagne so I guess I wasn't totally sober but it wasn't enough for me to be drunk." She paused for a second before continuing. "And I know it wasn't enough for you to drunk either."

"Mary…" He sighed and pushed him to sit up.

"What?"

"Don't do this." He told her, looking to the floor and relieved to see his boxer shorts close by.

"Don't do what?" She sat up too and reached out to grab his arm to stop him from standing up. "Marshall?"

"We're partners…best friends…You're engaged and in love with Raphael." He allowed her to pull him back down onto the bed but kept his back to her. "Let's put this down to a stupid drunken mistake and forget about it."

She knelled up behind him, placing her hands on his shoulders. "What if I don't want to forget about it?"

"We have to…You have to." He said firmly. "You have Raph…"

"What I don't love Raphael?" She asked. "What if I love…?"

"Don't." He cut her off abruptly and stood up. "Don't finish that sentence."

"Marshall…" She watched as he pulled on his boxers and then his jeans.

"God, Mary…What the hell are you doing?" He turned to face her.

"I thought you wanted this…us." She gestured a hand between them. "You said in that engagement toast that you loved me…I thought you meant that."

"I do."

"I thought you meant it more than a friend…I thought you meant you are in love with me."

He sighed softly. "I did….I am."

"Then what's the problem?" She asked, reaching for his hand but he stepped further back.

"That's the problem." He claimed. "Mare, I love you so much but I don't know how you feel about me…I know you care about me, I know you have feelings for me but I don't know if that's enough."

"I love you." She claimed.

"But can you honestly tell me you're in love with me?" He asked, softly.

"I can tell you I'm not in love with Raphael…I can tell you, you're the single most important thing in my life…I can tell you, I'd rather die than see you hurt…I can tell you I would be happy to spend every day with you for the rest of my life." She replied. "I might not be able to tell you I'm completely sure I'm head over heels in love with you….but that's a good start, right?"

"I don't think it is." He replied.

"Why not?"

"Are you willing to risk everything we have on how you feel?" He questioned.

"So, you think we should both just ignore our feelings?"

He sighed and moved back to the bed, sitting on the edge but turn a little so he could look at her. "You spend all your time keeping people at arm's length because you're afraid that they will hurt you like your Dad and I've spent the past five years pushing back until you let me in…"

"Doesn't that tell you something?" She threw her hands up. "You're the only one I've let do that."

"I don't want to be your safe option." He replied. "I love you and would anything for you but I couldn't take it if you were only with me because you were too scared to be with anyone else."

"Marshall…" She whispered. "You really think I would do that to you?"

"I don't know, Mare…" He shrugged. "Until this weekend, I would put money on never having a relationship outside the bounders of friendship…."

"Do you want to know what has changed? What's made me think like this?" She asked, crawled across the bed so she was sat beside him. "I didn't have to try this weekend…It was easy."

"Mare…"

"No, let me finish." She took one of his hands in hers. "I could be me and I actually enjoyed myself…I actually made some friends in Tom and Lilly… We were lying about us to them the whole time but if I'm honest, my other life with Raph…that feels like a lie…This feels real."

"You're really serious about this? This isn't something that you will change your mind about once we're back in Albuquerque?"

"Marshall, I wish I can promise you a life time of happiness but I can't see into the future…but I promise you that I want you to have a life time of happiness…" She told him. "And that I want to be one beside your side."

He ran a hand down his face. "And if they separate us at work?"

She tense slightly at the thought. "I guess that's something we would have to deal with if it came to it…"

"Mary." He gave her a look, telling her he didn't believe what she was saying.

"What?"

"When you thought I was quitting the Marshal Service, it took me getting shot before you would talk to me."

"That was because you were leaving me…" She replied. "If we were marred then we would still see each other every day."

His eyes widened. "You would want to stay married?"

"Why not?" She asked. "If we're going to be in a relationship then we might as well do it properly."

He let out a laugh. "God, only you could get married the day before you actually start the relationship."

"When I know it is right, why hang around?"

"You know if this doesn't work out then it would break my heart and that I would have to leave, right?" He asked softly.

"I don't want to break your heart and I will try everything in my power not to let that happen but I also don't want to throw this away." She squeezed his hand. "I want to be with you, Marshall."

He looked down at their joined hands, debating with himself what to do. His mind was screaming at him that he was being crazy, that there was no way this could work but his heart had already decided. She was right. This was probably going to be the only shot they had at being together. Besides, another part of him knew if he turned her down, then things would not just go back to normal.

"What do you want out of this, Mare?" He finally broke the silence; he wasn't quite ready to give in just yet.

"What do you mean?" She frowned. "I thought I told you…"

"I mean, how is this going to work?" He asked. "How do you see our relationship…our marriage?"

"Honestly?" She inquired. "I don't want much to change…well, apart from the physical side of the relationship obviously."

He couldn't help but smirk at that.

"But the way we are around each other…I don't want that to change." She continued. "I guess, one of the main wake up calls this weekend was how much we act like a couple anyway and that's why it wasn't hard to convince Tom and Lilly we were engaged."

"So, we become best friend who happen to sleep with each other?"

"No, that's not what I want." She shook her head. "I don't know how to explain it…All I know is that I want to be with you and most of time I spent with Raph, I was wishing you were around to explain things to me or make me laugh or get your opinion… Half the time I worked extra was because I would rather spend time with you then at home."

Marshall looked back down at their hands again but this time he threaded his fingers through hers. "I just don't know, Mare."

She reached over with her free hand and lifted his chin. "I want to be with you…I want to come home to you…I want to watch crappy TV with you…To go out to posh restaurant with you…to go see movies with you…I want to look after you when you're sick…I want you to look after me when I'm sick…"

"Mary…"

"I just… I'm tired of being lonely, Marshall." She sighed. "When I'm with you I don't feel that…I feel normal and happy."

He didn't say anymore but instead leaned forward and kissed her softly before pulling back. "Okay, I'm in."

She grinned widely before pushing him backwards on the bed and crawling onto him. She kissed him deeply, moaning quietly when he ran his hands up her back and shivered when she felt the cool metal from his ring on her skin.

"You know we'll have to get better rings, right?" She told him. "I don't to be stuck wearing something I don't like, forever…"

He smiled at the words he had used a few days ago. "We'll go shopping later but right now…"

He rolled them so she was underneath him. He reached down and took her hands, then pinned them above her head. He stared down at her for a few seconds, not moving or saying anything.

"What?" She asked, unsure with the look he was giving her.

"Nothing just…I'm feeling pretty happy right now and I just wanted to savor the moment."

"Oh god, my husband is such a girl…" She teased and rolled her eyes.

"Hey!" He said offended. "I'll have you know, I'm actually a geek…"

"Don't remind me."

"And now we're married it definitely makes you my geekette."

"Oh you are so dead."

"What are you going to do?" He smirked, her hands still pinned.

She shrugged for a few seconds but eventually gave up, knowing it was no good. "Okay, fine…Just shut up and kiss me."

"That I can do." He smiled and leaned down.

When the kiss deepened, she felt his grip on her hands loosen so she took the advantage and flipped their positions.

"Hey!" He exclaimed again as she began tickling him causing him to try and squirm away from her. "Hey! Stop it! Mary!"

"Say I'm not a geekette."

"Mary…Stop!" He laughed, trying to grab her hands.

"Say it."

"Fine, fine…You're not a geekette." He relented.

She stopped and collapsed down onto him, exhausted but she was grinning. It was never like this Raph or any other man she been with.

"You are mine, though…" He added with a whispered, wrapping his arms around her.

She lifted her head to look at him. "Yes, I am…"

He smiled, reaching out to brush her hair back before pulling her closer.

"I do love you, Marshall…"

"I know…I love you too." He replied before kissing her again.

_**XxXxX**_

After checking out of the hotel, they had two hours to kill before catching their flight back home so they spent it wondering around a couple of Las Vegas best jewelers shops.

What surprised Mary the most was how content she felt just holding Marshall's hand as they strolled around the shop; only speaking when one of them noticed a nice ring. She was a little reluctant to go back to New Mexico because even though she was a 100 percent sure she wanted to stay married to Marshall; she was worried about how everyone would react.

"Can I ask you something?" She broke the silence, stopping him from entering one of the stores they had already been to and seen rings they both liked but had wanted to wait until they looked everywhere.

"Sure."

"Without you reading too much into it and freaking out?"

He sighed. "Why have I got a bad feeling about this?"

"I just...I was thinking maybe we shouldn't tell Stan just yet." She suggested. "I know will have to eventually and soon but when we get back can we wait …Just so we can have a few more days together without worrying about being split up."

He thought about it before nodding. "I guess that will be nice."

"Good."

"We can hold off telling people until the weekend but you have to tell Raphael." He added. "It's not fair to him and I don't want my wife to be engaged to another man."

Her stomach flipped every time he called her his wife. Despite how happy she was to be with Marshall, she was not looking forward to having the conversation with Raph or her family.

"Mare?" He said when she didn't reply.

"Sorry…spaced out there for a minute." She gave him a small smile. "Of course, you're right…I'll tell him as soon as we get back."

"Do you want me to be there?"

"No, I think it's best if I do it alone." She shook her head.

"Okay."

"Come on, we've got to head to the airport soon…" She tugged on his hand and pulled him towards the jeweler's shop. "Let's get our rings."

_**XxXxX**_

When they arrived back in Albuquerque, they were stood in the airport's parking lot unsure what to do. They had both left their cars there when they had flew out to Vegas and although Mary wanted nothing more than to go home with Marshall, she knew she had to face her family.

"Look, I'm going to head to my place…I'll speak with Raph, pack some stuff and meet you at yours." She told him.

"You sure you don't want me to come?"

"No, go home...I'll be fine." She assured him, leaning up to peck him on the lips. "I won't be long."

"You better take this." He reached into his jeans' pocket and pulled out her engagement ring from Raph.

"Oh, I forgot about that." She took it and immediately stuffed it into her own front pocket. She hadn't thought about it since she threw it away.

"I'll cook dinner for us tonight." He kissed her forehead.

"Be careful…Might get used to that."

"I've tasted your cooking…I'm pretty sure I'll be doing most of the cooking in this marriage."

"Fine by me." She shrugged, unlocking the probe's door.

"Call if you need me." He told her, watching as she climbed into her car.

"It'll be fine." She assured him again, giving him one last smile before closing the door and starting the engine, which surprising started first time.

He gave her a small wave as she pulled away before head for his own car.

**XxXxX**

When Mary entered her house she found the TV on in the living room with no one watching it and could hear the radio playing loudly from the kitchen. Rolling her eyes, she flicked off a few lights there had been turned on unnecessarily, grabbed the remote and turned off the TV on her way to the kitchen, where she found Jinx and Brandi.

"Mary, you're back!" Jinx smiled.

"Yeah…Where's Raph?" She asked, wanting to get it over with quickly.

"He didn't call you?" Brandi looked up at her.

"No, why?" Mary frowned.

"He had to go back to home…He's Uncle died."

"Oh god...When?"

"He left a couple of hours ago….I guess he didn't have to time to call you."

"Do you know when he'll be back?"

Brandi shrugged. "He didn't say…I'm sure he'll call you when he can."

"Yeah…" Mary nodded, leaning back against the counter.

"So, what do you want for dinner?" Jinx stood up. "How about we ordered something in?"

"I'm not staying." Mary said, remembering Marshall was cooking for her. "I've got work."

"But you just got back…." Brandi looked up again.

"I know but I'm really busy at the moment…"

"Mary…"

"The only reason I came home was to tell you I'm going away again so won't be back for a few days and to grab some clean clothes."

Jinx sighed. "Fine…I know there is nothing we can say that will stop you."

"No, there's not…It's my job, it's important." Mary replied, heading for her room.

Apart of her felt guilty for lying to them but it wasn't fair to tell them before she told Raph. Besides, it brought her a few more days of peace before everyone found out.

_**XxXxX**_

Marshall opened the door with a grin on his face which got bigger when he saw her.

"Hey."

"Hey yourself." She replied. "Can I come in?"

"Of course." He stepped aside and the second he had closed the door behind her, his back was flat against it and she was kissing him passionately.

"Hmm…" He kissed back for a few minutes before pulling away. "Here"

"What?" She looked down when he pressed something into her hand a saw a key.

"If you're going to live here, then you'll need your own key." He explained. They had talked about it on the plane and decided they would live there so Jinx and Brandi could have her house.

She reached into her pocket and pulled out her bunch keys. Clipping the new one on, she then tossed them onto small table by the door.

"How did it go with Raphael?" Marshall before she had chance to kiss him again.

"Fine."

"Fine?" He repeated, frowning.

"Well, not fine but you know…" She shrugged. "It's done now anyway…"

She knew she should tell him the truth but she didn't want to spoil their first night together as an official married couple. She would tell Raph as soon as she could but right now it could wait.

"Great." He pulled her closer to him and kissed her again.

"How long till dinners ready?" She asked between kisses.

"At least an hour…Didn't realize you would be this quick."

"I missed you and needed to see you." She explained backing up and pulling him in the direction of the bedroom.

**TBC**

**Please review! Let me know what you think about Mary not telling Marshall about Raph. **


	4. Chapter 4

**Thank you to everyone who reviewed! Please keep them coming. This chapter is a little shorter but I hope you like it! **

**Enjoy! **

**What Happens in Vegas**

"Do you have to do that?" Mary mumbled sleepily, not opening her eyes or moving.

"What?" Marshall questioned from beside her.

"Watch me sleep."

"Who said I was watching you sleeping?"

"I can feel your eyes on me."

"I was actually trying to work out if you've slipped into a coma or not…"

She rolled on to her back and stretching as she slowly opened her eyes. "Someone kept me up late last night…"

He raised an eyebrow at her. "I didn't hear you complaining at the time."

"I'm not complaining now, just stating a fact." She replied, reaching across and grabbing her cell phone of the bedside table. "6:05am? Are you insane? Why am I awake this early?"

"We've got to be at the office at 8…" He started.

"You've got to be at the office at 8…If I turn up any earlier then 8:30 then Stan is going to know something is up." Mary cut in. "And anyway, it does not take two hours to get ready for work."

"It does when you include breakfast and this…" He leaned down and kissed her.

She kissed back, pushing him back until she was on top of him. "Screw breakfast…"

"It's the most important meal of the day…" He replied, between kisses.

"Oh shut up." She told him before placing her lips over his to stop him from saying anymore.

An hour and 15 minutes later, Marshall exited the bathroom with a towel around his waist and rolled his eyes when he saw Mary had gone back to sleep. He picked up her t-shirt from the day before, balled it up before aiming it at her.

"Hey, what the hell?" She complained, glaring at him.

"Are you getting out of bed at all today?" He questioned.

"We're newlyweds, we're not meant to get out of bed for the first few days."

He leaned down over her and she thought he was going to kiss her but when they were millimeters; he grabbed her hand and pulled her to sit up. "Tell that to Stan."

"I hate you." She told him, watching him pulling some clothes out the closet.

"Ha, yeah right…You love me."

"Oh god…Why did I never admit that?" She groaned.

"Because you love me?" He grinned at her, pulling on some jeans.

"Stop saying that." She threw the t-shirt back at him.

He slipped his arms into a shirt and leaned down to kiss her quickly. "You love me…I love you…Deal with it."

"I think I need you to help me…" She put her arms around his neck and tried to pull him down onto the bed.

"Work." He reminded her, giving her one more kiss before standing up and buttoning his shirt.

"You're no fun."

"You do realize we just had a three day weekend off, right? Which means we'll both have a pile of paperwork to do…?"

"So?"

"So, the sooner we get to work and get started, the sooner we can come home again."

Her stomach flipped when he said home…She still couldn't quite believe they were married and technically living together but she was more surprised at how comfortable she already felt being there.

"Have you gone back to sleep again?"

"I've got my eyes open, Doofus."

"Some people can sleep with their eyes open." He shrugged and reached down to pull her to her feet. "Go shower and I'll meet you at the office."

"Urg, fine."

"I'm stopping for coffee and danishes so if you don't want it to be cold and have last pick, you better hurry up." He called as he walked down the hallway.

"Save me a raspberry one!" She shouted back but she just heard the door closing.

Twenty minutes later, she was ready to leave herself but as she pulled on her leather jacket, her cell phone rang.

"I'll be there in ten and if I get stuck with the cheese one again you will pay big time…" She answered, grabbing her keys off the side.

"Mary?"

She froze, halfway to the door. "Raph…"

"Cheese what?" He questioned. "What are you talking about?"

She sighed. "I thought you were someone else…"

"Brandi said you were working."

"I am." She replied. "Look, that's not important…I'm sorry about your Uncle."

"I tried calling you but your cell went straight to voicemail." He told her. "You must have been out of range."

"Yeah, I was probably on the plane come back." She couldn't help but feel a little guilty. "How are you?"

"I'm okay…Uncle Vin had been sick for some time." He replied. "But Mama upset and it's making her unwell."

"Do you know how long you'll be gone?"

"We're trying to arrange the funeral to take place in a few days but I cannot leave my mom like this."

"No, of course."

"We've been talking about the wedding…" Raphael continued. "I think its helping because she has something to look forward to…"

"Yeah, right…"

"I was thinking we could move the date up…get married in the spring…"

"Raph…" She sighed.

"We'll talk about it more when I get back," He cut in. "I'll let you get to work."

"Okay."

"Be safe." He told her. "I love you."

"I…" She stopped herself before repeating it. "I'll see you when you get back."

She hung up before he could add anymore and groaned loudly. She should have just told him there and then but she couldn't, not when he was miles away, grieving over his Uncle's death. She was pretty sure that Marshall would understand but she was worried about upsetting him too.

She jumped when her cell rang again; she hesitantly looked down and was relieved to see Marshall's name on the caller's ID.

"Hey…" She opened the door and headed for her car.

"I've just left the coffee shop…" He told her. "I got two blueberries, one cheese and one raspberry Danishes…"

"One raspberry?" She repeated. "You know Eleanor will grab it straight away!"

"You better get to the office fast then…"

"Hate you."

"Love you."

_**XxXxX**_

When she swiped her card and pushed open the door, she saw Eleanor already with a danish and a coffee. She sent Marshall a look but he kept on typing. As she passed his desk, he took one hand off the keyboard and held up a bag.

"Dare I ask?" She peered into the bag.

"Raspberry as requested." He then passed her a takeout cup of coffee.

"You said they were out of raspberry." Eleanor looked over at him.

"Morning, Inspector." Stan walked into the main office, saving Marshall from replying. "I trust you had a good weekend?"

Mary shot Marshall a look before taking a seat at her desk. "You could say that…."

"Marshall assured me that you behaved yourself…"

"Oh did he, now? Did he tell you about the tequila shots?"

"I may have left that part out…"

"Tequila shots?" Stan repeated. "I thought I banned you two from drinking tequila after the last time with the zoo…"

"We were on vacation." Mary replied.

"And we didn't actually do anything at the zoo…" Marshall added.

"Who do I need to apologies to?" Stan sighed.

"No one, Stan…We went out for a few drinks and then spent the next recovering." Marshall assured him, trying not to grin.

"I don't believe you but as long as I don't hear about it…I don't care." Stan replied.

"Good to know." Mary smirked.

Stan sent her an unimpressed look.

"What happened with the zoo?" Eleanor asked.

"Mary didn't believe me when I said that hippos can run faster than humans…"

"Have you seen the size of the things?" Mary threw her hands up in the air.

"And we were in San Diego at the time so we went to the zoo to have a look."

"I don't understand." Eleanor frowned, glancing at Stan. "What's so bad about that?"

"It's was 3am at the time." Their boss answered. "They're lucky they never got charged with breaking and entering."

"We didn't break in…We got there and found it was closed…" Marshall explained and then nodded his head towards Mary. "It was Jesse Owens here who freaked the security guards out by tell them we were there to race the hippos."

"Oh my god…"

"And that's why I don't let them drink tequila."

"Huh, I always thought it was because we TP'ed his house." Mary said and Marshall shook his head frantically. "What?"

Stan narrowed his eyes and pointed a finger at them accusingly. "I knew that was you two."

"Well, you don't have to worry…We were on our best behavior this weekend." Marshall tried to assure him.

"Uh-huh." Stan replied, unconvinced and then turned to go back into his office, glancing back at them once.

As soon as his door closed, they both started laughing.

"You two are quite insane." Eleanor declared, standing up and walking to the supply cabinet,

"Yup, totally crazy." Mary agreed,

"Clearly nuts." Marshall smiled.

_**XxXxX**_

When Marshall got home that night he found Mary sat on the couch drinking a beer with her feet on the coffee table

"Hi honey, I'm home." He quipped, dropping down beside her.

"What are we? A 80s sitcom?" She elbowed him in the ribs.

"Ow!" He shifted away from her and then reached out to take the beer.

"Hey, that's mine!" She tried to snatch it back but he already finished the bottle.

"That's for leaving me all your paperwork." He let his head fall to the back of the couch.

"You were the one that said the quicker I get it done the quicker I could come home…" She replied. "And making you do it was the quickest way."

He rolled his eyes. "For that you can make dinner tonight."

"I thought you were going to be the cook in this relationship?"

"It's an equal partnership…"

"Alright, fine..." She pushed herself up and headed for the kitchen.

Marshall stared after her in surprised. He had been expecting to have to argue with her about it and he was sure he would end up making dinner. He was even more confused when she returned five minutes later with two beers, handing him one.

"Beer isn't classed as dinner, Mare…" He commented when she led down, placing her head in his lap and turned to look at the TV.

"I know, smartass….I ordered us a pizza."

"Ah." He nodded, understanding now.

They watched TV silently, both of them just enjoying the calm. Mary looked up at him as he started stroking her hair. She couldn't get her head around what she was feeling. She had never felt so comfortable or content in all her life and she couldn't believe that after all this time, it was Marshall who was the right one for her.

She thought back to the nights in she spent with Raph and they never felt like this. They would watch a movie together but would need their own space and it never felt right to sit quietly. She always felt like she had to entertain him.

She had assumed it was because of who she was and that she wasn't the type of person to actually enjoy an ordinary family life. Maybe because she had never experienced it before…

"Marshall?"

"Yeah…"

"This is nice."

He looked down at her and smile. "Yeah, it is."

**TBC **

**Please review! **


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey, thank you to everyone who reviewed! Please keep them coming! **

**Enjoy!**

**What Happens in Vegas**

On the Thursday after their wedding, Marshall closed the front the door behind him and hung up his jacket as quietly as he could. One of the witnesses Stan was taking care of with Charlie had a situation and Stan had already left for the night so Marshall tagged along to help the younger Marshal out.

It had took longer than he planned; Mary had texted him at 8:30 telling him if he wasn't home by 9pm then she was going to eat his half of the Chinese she had ordered and then again at 10 to say it was gone.

It was now almost 1am and he could not wait to get to bed and crash. In the past, he never minded working late or on the weekends but now he had Mary to come home, things were different. Even though when he was at the office, she was there too, it was different when they were at home. They didn't have to hide and while apart of him was worried what Stan's reaction would be, he couldn't wait until Friday when they planned on telling him.

Making his way to the kitchen, he pulled open the fridge and he saw takeout containers and a note written in Mary's handwriting.

'_Don't say I never give you anything. X' _

He grinned, not just because she had saved him some dinner but because she actually bothered to leave a note…and put a kiss at the end.

Closing the fridge again, deciding he wasn't all that hungry anymore he headed for the bedroom. He stopped in the doorway when he saw her sat up watching TV.

"I thought you would be asleep by now." He commented, moving fully into the room.

She shrugged and grabbed the remote to turn the TV off. "I thought I would stay awake in case you needed me to come and help."

"You weren't waiting up for me then?" He asked, teasingly.

"Yeah right," she rolled her eyes.

He sat down on the bed and kissed her deeply. Moving his hand up to her cheek, gently tracing a circle with his thumb before pulling back. "You act like you're this tough kickass woman…"

"I thought you liked that about me…" She shifted down the bed so she was led down and pulled him with her.

"I do…" He grinned. "I love it…"

"But…"

"You don't have to act like that all the time." He told her. "Not with me."

"I knew I shouldn't have saved you that dinner."

"Mare…"

"What?" She sighed. "What do you want me to say? Yes, there are times when I feel like doing nice things for you…There are times when I want to tell you I missed you and that I love you…but this is all new to me, so I'm still getting used to it."

He nodded a little, understanding. "Okay."

"Why don't you go and eat?" She suggested.

"Hmm…" He mumbled, kissing her neck.

"Marshall…." She moaned. "You must be starving…"

"I much rather do this."

Mary pushed him back and rolled him so she was top. He moved to push up her t-shirt up but she took his hands and pinned them down above his head. He stared up at her in surprise at her quick movement and she just looked back at him. After a few seconds, when she felt him relax under her grip she trailed her fingers down his arms, without breaking eye contact. When she reached his shoulder, she moved them across and then slipped two fingers beneath his collar, slowly searching for the thin gold chain. She gently tugged on it, pulling from under his shirt and moved her fingers down it until she reached the gold band, pretty much identical to hers. She turned it over a few time, before flicking her eyes up to meet his again. He was watching her closely, his hands still above his head where she placed them.

"Will you wear it on your finger when everyone knows?" She asked, quietly, her eyes had gone back to the ring.

Marshall was a little surprised by the question. "Yeah…I was planning to."

She let it fall down to his chest as she reached for the chain around her own neck. She picked up her ring, looking it over like she had done with his.

"Mare?" He said softly. "You okay?"

"Yeah, just thinking…"

"Want to share?" He pushed himself up so he was leaning his elbows.

"How did you do it?" She sighed, turning her attention from the ring to him again.

"Do what?" He frowned.

"Whenever Raph was away playing baseball or whatever, I was happy because it gave me space…But tonight I actually missed you and couldn't get to sleep." She admitted and reached for the necklace again. "And this ring…it doesn't make me feel trapped or owned…."

"How does it make you feel?" He couldn't help but ask.

She paused, thinking carefully about her answer. "Secure…loved…happy."

"Well, those all sound like good things to me, Mare…"

"No, they are, I know they are…" She assured him quickly. "It's just I never knew I could feel like this… I always thought it was because who I was not who he was."

He reached up and stroked her cheek. "I'm glad you feel all those things, Mare and you don't have to worry about it because I feel the same way…"

"You do?"

He nodded. "Yeah and I think that means we have something pretty special going on here."

She leaned forward and led down, her cheek pressed against his chest. Her eyes were back on his ring and slipped it onto her own finger; it was too big and she twisted it around slowly.

Marshall brushed some hair out of her face and behind her ear; he was surprised at how somber their conversation had quickly got.

"Mare?" He said softly. "Are you okay?"

She moved to rest her chin on his chest so she was looking up at him. "How much do you love me?"

He frowned. "What do you mean? I love you more than anything… I would do anything for you."

"Why?" She asked. "What makes me so special that you would do that? I've seen women fawn all over you…women that can be the perfect little house wife…"

"When have I ever said I wanted a perfect little house wife?" Marshall cut in.

"Marshall…" She sighed and pushed herself up to sit beside him. "I know you…You like the old traditions…You're a 'holding hands, sharing desserts, no going to bed angry with each other, joint burial plot' kind of guy…"

"Mary, stop….What's going on?" He asked. "Are you having second thoughts? Regrets?"

"No!" She insisted. "I just…."

"Just what?"

"What if I screw this up? If I hurt you?" She told him. "And I don't want to lose you."

"Mary, you were the one that convinced me this could work…"

"I know but I'm not so good at this sort thing and I want you to be happy."

"Are you kidding me?" He laughed. "This last week has been the best of my life."

"Really?"

"Yes!" He threaded his fingers through hers. "I always wanted to get married someday, I never pictured getting drunk and eloping but you have to admit, it's a pretty us thing to do."

She gave him a small smile. "Yeah…"

"Mare, this is new for both of us and it might take a while to get used to but we can make it work, I know we can."

"What if I screw things up by being me?" She questioned.

"I fell in love with you a long time ago…You said yourself I was the only one you've allowed to get to know the real you and that's the person I love…I love the tough, 'take no bullshit' woman, I love the caring, understanding side that you try to hide…I love your humor, your altitude…I love how you don't give a damn about how you look but you're still the most beautiful, sexiest woman ever…I love you, Mary Shannon, the good, bad and the ugly." He finished with a grin.

She rolled her eyes and elbowed him in the ribs. "Only you could go completely over the top with the sappiness and then ruin the moment."

He laughed and kissed her forehead. "We're going to be fine, Mare...We don't just love each other but we're best friends and that makes our relationship pretty strong."

She led her head on his shoulder, placing their joined hand on his stomach and he wrapped his free arm around her waist, pulling closer to him.

"I'm sorry for spoiling the moment by going all 'girly' on you."

"I like your 'girly' side too." He added with a yawn.

"I do you love you, Marshall."

"I know." He pressed his lips to her hair. "We just need to keep doing what we're doing…You don't need to act like someone else around me."

"Marshall…"

"Just be honest with me…Don't keep things from me and we'll be unbreakable." He mumbled sleepily.

She tensed a little at his words and looked up to see his eyes were closed. "Marshall?"

"Hmmm?"

She paused, debating what she should do before sighing. "Goodnight."

"Night…"

She had to talk to Raphael and fast but she didn't know whether it was a conversation she could with him over the phone. He was a good man and it wasn't his fault that she had fallen in love with someone else. She knew not telling Marshall the truth would probably come back and bite her in ass if he ever found out but she couldn't risk hurting him, not know…not just when she realized how much she wanted the life she could picture with him.

_**XxXxX**_

When Mary woke up, she found she was alone. She pushed herself up and groaned when she saw it was only 5:15. Wrapping the comforter around her shoulders, she stumbled out the bedroom. She found Marshall sat the kitchen table with his laptop.

"Seriously, what is with you and early mornings?" She grumbled. "We went to sleep only four hours ago…"

He looked up at her. "I woke up and couldn't get back to sleep…I didn't want to wake you."

"Have you made coffee?" She asked.

"Yeah but why don't you go back to bed?" He suggested. "Get another couple hours sleep…"

"I'll be fine." She yawned, pouring herself a cup.

"It's actually me I'm worried about…" He smirked. "Having to work with you all day when you've only had a few hours' sleep."

"Ha-ha." She shot him a look before joining him, pushing his shoulders back gently so there was enough room for her sit on his lap. "So, what's so important that you had to leave me alone in bed at 5am?"

"I was just looking at some stuff…"

"Job vacancy?" She frowned.

"I thought I should prepare in case things don't go our way when we tell Stan…"

"You think we could lose our jobs?"

"No but there's a chance one of us will need to transfer to another office." He shrugged. "And I'm not willing to work in a different city to you."

"Marshall…"

"So, if we both can't stay in Albuquerque when I'll resign."

"You would really quit the Marshal Service for me?" She stared at him.

"Of course."

"I don't want you to." She shook her head. "It should be me…You've got your family history and your record is spotless…"

"Mare, you love being a Marshal…"

"So do you."

"Yeah but there are other jobs that I think I could enjoy to." He replied. "Can you say the same?"

"Marshall…"

"And it might not come to it." He claimed. "Don't worry…Everything will be fine."

She sighed and leaned back against him. "You really think we won't be able to work together anymore?"

"I don't know, Mare…Hopefully, we'll just get new partners and still be in the same office." He reached across and closed the laptop. "But at least we're together, that's the main thing right?"

"Yeah, I just don't want us to never see each other because we so busy with work."

He tightened his hold on her. "We'll work it out."

_**XxXxX**_

"So, I was thinking that since we don't have to be in the office until late tomorrow…" Marshall started as drove to work a couple of hours later.

"What? That we can actually sleep past 6:30?" Mary cut in sarcastically. "That's a novel idea."

"Actually, I was going to say that how about I cook us a nice meal tonight and we'll get a bottle of champagne to celebrate."

"Celebrate?" She repeated. "Celebrate what? The weekend?"

"Our marriage, Miss Sunshine." He rolled his eyes. "I knew you should have gone back to bed earlier."

"I just need more coffee…"

"So, what do you think?" He glanced across at her. "We could invite your Mom and Brandi….Maybe Stan and Eleanor…."

She sighed. "You want us to be one of those couples that entertain, don't you?"

"Mare, we admitted our feelings to each other and got married without our friends and family being there…I thought it would be nice if we could do something with everyone too…"

"Nice? You have met my family, right?"

He paused for a minute, thinking before continuing. "You haven't told me how they took the news…"

"What?"

"Jinx and Brandi." He replied. "I know they were both close with Raphael and it must have been a shock…"

"Marshall…" She sighed, rubbing her forehead; she was beginning to get a headache.

"Did it go bad?"

"You know what they're like." She turned to look out the window so he couldn't see her face. "They like to make a drama out of everything…"

"I'm sorry, Mare…"

"What for?"

"Well, it just seemed like you were getting on well with them both now they're sorting their lives out…"

"Don't apologize." She told him. "You haven't done anything wrong and you haven't come in-between my family and me."

He took one hand off the stirring wheel and placed it on top of hers. "In a few weeks everything would have settled down and we'll be able to get on with our life."

"Yeah, I can't wait." She replied, giving him a small smile.

**XxXxX**

"Good morning, Inspectors." Stan called as he walked towards his office. "Your car in the shop again, Mary?"

"What makes you say that?" She looked up from her computer at him.

"You're here before 8am…You never early unless Marshall is giving you a ride."

She rolled her eyes. "And I couldn't have just wanted to get an early start?"

"No." Stan, Marshall and Eleanor all said in unison.

"Well, if you're going to be like, I'm taking a break." She announced, standing up and grabbing her empty coffee mug.

Her cell buzzed as she waited for the coffee machine to warm up and she groaned when she saw Raphael's name.

"Hi." She answered, glancing behind her and saw Marshall was still at his desk.

"Mary, I'm glad I got hold of you…Your mother and sister is worried about you."

"What? Why?"

"They say you haven't been home all week…."

"I've been working. "She explained. "I'm fine."

"You shouldn't be working all these long hours," he stated. "They're working you too hard."

"No one is working me too hard, Raph…It's my choice." She stated. She knew she wasn't going to miss having to always explain why her job was important anymore. Marshall understood and felt the same way.

"I'm sorry…I don't want to argue." He sighed. "I miss you."

"Yeah…When are you coming home?" She rubbed her eyes.

"Not until next week at the earliest."

"Damn it."

"Don't worry…I'll be home before you know it." He said sweetly. "And until then you can always call me."

"Yeah, Raph…We need to talk about something…"

"Hold on for one moment…." He told her and she could hear him talking to someone else in Spanish before he came back on the line. "Mary, I'm sorry but I have to go."

"Yeah, figures…"

"I'm sorry?"

"Nothing…Don't worry about it." She told him. "I'll talk to you later."

"Bye, I love you."

"You too…" She replied and then cringed.

She hung up the phone and turned around to face the office. She watched Marshall for a few seconds. Part of her still felt like he deserved better than her but there was a bigger part of her that wasn't willing to give him up.

She filled two coffee mugs up and placed one in front of him before sitting at her own desk.

"What's this?" He questioned, looking across at her.

"What?" She shrugged. "I wanted to do something nice for you."

"I wouldn't drink that if I was you…" Eleanor advised him.

Marshall couldn't help but smile, thinking about their conversation from the night before. Mary returned the smile but then looked away. She was happy he was so pleased by the small gesture but she did wonder what her husband would think if he knew she did it out of guilt because she just told a man she was still engaged to that she loved him.

"Inspectors, your needed in Santa Fe…" Stan walked out of his office and handed them each a folder.

"What for?" Marshall flipped the folder open.

"The Wit-Sec office up there requires some support and since we're pretty light at the moment, you've been requested to go help out." He informed them.

"Help with what?"

"They've got a tricky transfer and they need more Marshals on it." He explained. "It shouldn't take too long to get done…You'll be back here by tonight."

"Okay, well, let's get going." Mary stood up, reaching for her jacket.

"Hey, Stan…Will you still be here when we get back?" Marshall asked.

"Was there something you needed?"

"There's just something we would like to discuss with you…"

"Okay, I'll hang around." Their boss nodded and turned back to his office. "Be careful out there."

"You got it, Chief." Marshall called back and followed Mary to elevator.

_**XxXxX**_

After an hour drive, one coffee stop, they arrived at the Santa Fe office and Mary was even grumpier then before. She had received a handful of miss calls from Jinx and Brandi but there was no way she could answer any them without Marshall knowing she had lied to him.

"Are you going to play nice?" Marshall asked, as they waited for the Marshals who were handle the case.

"I'm just here to do a job…" She replied.

"Uh-huh."

"I'm sorry to keep you waiting…"

They both turn at the sound of another voice and saw a woman walking towards them followed by two men.

"I'm Inspector Sophie Sonny and this is Inspectors Luke Thompson and George Sparks…" She introduced.

"Inspector Marshall Mann and Inspector Mary Shannon." Marshall replied, holding out his hand.

Sophie titled her head a little to look at him. "Inspector Marshall Mann?"

"Yes, he's Inspector Marshal Marshall Mann…" Mary jumped in, not happy about the look this woman was giving her partner….husband. "Can we get on with things?"

"Of course." Sophie glanced at her quickly before gesturing them both to take a seat. "Okay, Penny Tyler…Witnessed a drug sale go wrong and saw three people murdered…She's been here for almost six months and has been a model witness but yesterday received several anonymous phone calls and we have information that one of the suspects in the murder trial is in the area."

"We're moving her to Rowell and handing her off to the Marshal office there and they'll move her to her new location." George finished off, giving Marshall a sheet of paper, detailing their planned route.

"This has us heading west then and down to Roswell…" Marshall said after scanning it.

"It's the quickest way." Luke supplied.

"Also the most logical." Mary added and when they just stared back her, she rolled her eyes. "The one they would expect us to take."

"Right now we're more concerned about getting her out of here and fast." George said coolly.

"What do you suggest?" Sophie asked but she was only looking at Marshall.

"I say we go through Albuquerque…It'll only add an hour to the journey and both Mary and I know the area extremely well so if we did have a tail it will be easier to spot and lose."

Sophie glanced at her two colleagues and when neither of them objected, she smiled. "Sound good."

"I'll go tell the boss about the change in plans." Luke pushed himself to his feet.

"So, what's next?" Marshall asked.

Sophie filled them in on how things would work and Mary just sat back, watching silently. She knew the other woman was flirting with Marshall and what annoyed her most was her husband had not even notice and gave her no encouragement but Sophie kept flipping her hair, smiling and laughing at his dumb jokes.

Once it was decided that the witness would travel with Mary, Marshall and Sophie and that Luke and George would follow, they headed off to grab their stuff, leaving Marshall and Mary alone in the conference room.

"You okay?" He asked. "You've been pretty quiet…"

She didn't answer and instead she pushed him until his back hit the door and kissed him deeply. He was stunned at first before recovering and kissing back.

"What's going on?" He asked, as he pulled away bewildered.

"I would have done something stupid otherwise." She kissed him again.

"Mare…" He pulled back again. "You don't think making out in conference room is doing something stupid?"

"I think that bimbo was stupid for flirting with my husband…"

A grin spread across his face with realization. "You're jealous…"

She rolled her eyes. "Why would I be jealous? You didn't even notice her."

He tightened his arms around her, pulling her closer to him. "I'm a very happily married man."

"You better remember that." She replied, putting her hands behind his head and pulled him down for another kiss.

He moaned quietly, knowing it was a bad idea but he couldn't stop but they both jumped apart when they heard voices outside the door. Marshall walked quickly over to the table and pretended to be reading a file and Mary watched him with a smirk.

"You guys ready to move?" Luke asked, as he entered the room with George.

"Yeah, let me use the bathroom and I'll be set." Mary replied, moving past them to the door. She glanced at Marshall and winked at him before leaving the room.

Marshall rolled his eyes and turned his attention back to the other Marshal; he had a feeling it was going be to a long day.

Mary was looking down at her cell phone and almost collided with Sophie as she walked.

"Sorry, didn't see you there…" Mary told her, stepping aside to let her pass.

"That's okay…I was hoping to run into you…" Sophie said and then laughed at the pun.

"Oh yeah?" Her eyes were back on her phone, reading the text messages she received from Brandi and Jinx.

"Yeah, I was wondering about Marshall…"

"What about him?" Her head snapped up.

"Is he seeing anyone?"

"You could say that…" Mary replied. "He's married."

"Really? Oh…"

If it wasn't Marshall who the other woman was after, Mary might have felt sorry for her when she saw her face fall.

"Yeah, very happily married." Mary continued. "And his wife is quite protective…Wouldn't want to get on the wrong side of her."

"Well, I can't say I'm not disappointed." Sophie smiled a little. "He seems like a really nice guy…It's just my luck he's married."

"Uh-huh." Mary resisted the urge to roll her eyes. "Excuse me."

She reached the ladies' bathroom and leaned her hands on the sink, staring at herself in the mirror. She wished everything wasn't so complicated. She wished she had the courage to tell people that she was married to Marshall…That he was her husband and she was his wife but there was something holding her back. She loved him…She was sure of that but she feared that something would change once everyone knew. She groaned when her cell rung and looked down to see Jinx's name again.

"Mom, I'm working." She answered, knowing this would probably be the only chance she would have to talk privately.

"Oh honey…We've been so worried about you…"

Mary sighed. "I'm fine…Just busy."

"You haven't been home in almost a week."

"I know…"

"Where are you?"

"I told you, I'm working." She replied. "And I got to go…"

"Mary…"

"I'm sorry…I'll speak to you when I can."

She hung up the phone quickly and then turned on the tap to splash some water on her face. She wished that everyone would go away and leave her alone so he could just be with Marshall.

Marshall was re-reading Penny's case file to make sure they hadn't missed anything when Sophie sat down beside him. After a few seconds, he could feel that she was watching him and he looked up to see they were alone.

"Everything ready?" He asked.

"Yep, Thompson and Sparks have gone to get some vehicles and when Mary gets back, we're good to go."

"Great." Marshall closed the file and noticed Sophie was still looking at him. "What? Is my shirt buttoned wrong or something?"

Sophie smiled when he looked down to examine his shirt. "No, I just don't see it…"

"See what?

"A ring." She replied. "Mary said you were married."

"Ah…." He reached into his shirt and pulled out the chain to show her the wedding band.

Sophie smiled. "So, I guess I shouldn't ask you out then."

"Sorry, I'm kind of a one woman man…" He tucked the ring away again. "Besides, I don't think my wife would let me live if I even looked at another woman."

"Yeah, Mary said she was protective."

"Did she now?" Marshall asked, trying not to grin. "Well, it wouldn't matter anyway…I love her more than anything…"

"I hope she knows how lucky she is." Sophie replied. "Have you been together long?"

"Four years." He replied honestly.

Before either of them could say anymore, the door swung open and Mary entered.

"If you two girls have finished gossiping, we're waiting for you…" She told them.

"Let's go." Sophie smiled, despite the other woman's irritated tone.

Mary stood in the doorway and waited for her to leave before stopping Marshall. "What was that about?"

"She was wondering why I wasn't wearing a wedding ring if I was married…" He stepped closer to her, leaning down to whisper in her ear. "She also told me my wife was very lucky…"

"She hasn't experienced Marshall-pedia…" She shot back.

He kissed her cheek. "She also said you warned her off…"

"Of course I did…I'm not going to let some bimbo get her claws into my husband."

"I love it when you call me that…" He whispered.

"Well, husband…get your ass moving so we can get home and I can show you protective I am of what's mine."

He grinned. "Yes, Dear…"

_**XxXxX**_

The transfer went without a hitch and they arrived back the Sunshine building that evening.

"You know, we could have gone straight home and got an early night…" Mary grumbled as they rode up the elevator.

"Don't tempt me…"

She grinned. "Come on, baby…you know want to…"

"Baby?" He repeated. "Most people would consider that as pet name but coming from you it's just sounds like you're mocking me."

She stepped closer to him and ran a hand down his chest. "Would I mock you…Baby…"

"Okay, stop." He laughed, grabbing her wrists. "You, Mary Shannon are a dangerous woman…"

"That's Mary Shannon-Mann, to you, Inspector…" She leaned to whisper in his ear.

He groaned loudly and let go of one of her hands to press the emergency stop button. His other hand moved to her cheek as he kissed her deeply. She grinned against his lips, wrapping her arms tightly his neck.

She pulled back slightly and looked up at him. "Take me home…"

"I will…" He assured her, brushing some hair out of her face. "But first we need to talk to Stan."

Mary sighed and leaned her forehead against his chest. "Do we have to?"

"Mare, he needs to know…The longer we leave it, the harder it will be." He told her. "And then afterwards we don't have to hide from anyone and we can wear our rings so there will be no bimbos asking me out or gomers hitting on you."

She stepped back from him and folded her arms across her stomach. "Fine…"

"Mare…"

"I just…I like working with you and I like coming home to you." She told him. "And I just wish we knew how it was going to turn out..."

"We can't keep this a secret, Mare."

"I know." She nodded and pressed the button for their floor. "You're right…We should just tell him."

He kissed her temple. "As long as we're together, everything will be fine."

She gave him a smile and took a deep breath as the doors opened; she just hoped he was right.

**TBC**

**Please review! **


	6. Chapter 6

**Here's the next chapter! Thanks to everyone who reviewed! Please keep them coming! **

**Enjoy! **

**What Happens in Vegas**

"Welcome back, I trust everything went smoothly?" Eleanor greeted them when they entered the office.

"You doubt us?" Marshall spread his hands out wide.

"Of course not…" Eleanor replied and then glanced in Mary's direction. "Not you anyway…"

Mary rolled her eyes and smiled sarcastically but didn't comment. Eleanor glanced between the two of them, surprised at the lack of come back.

"Where's Stan?" Marshall asked, looking into their boss' office.

"There was a last minute situation and had to go to Houston for a meeting…"

"How long will he be gone for?"

"He didn't know…the weekend for sure." Eleanor answered, walking to her desk and grabbed a pile of files.

"What this?" Marshall flicked through them when she placed them in his hands.

"Stan wants you as Acting Chief." Eleanor told him, turning her eyes back to Mary, expectantly.

"What?" She asked. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Just waiting for the fireworks to start…"

"What are you babbling on about?" Mary sighed loudly.

"Marshall being made Acting Chief, which makes him your superior…" Eleanor stated.

Marshall let out a laugh, still looking through the paperwork. "Ha! No one is Mary's superior…"

"This is my point." The older woman nodded. "So, come on Mary…Let's hear it and get it over with…"

"I don't care…" She threw her hands up in the air. "Brainiac here can have twice the amount of work and the responsibility of making sure the bozos in this office actually do something other than check their Facebook!"

"Huh…" Eleanor tilted her head a little and looked at her. "And here I was thinking you were getting sick or something…"

"Whatever." Mary muttered, walking over to her desk and sitting down.

"Well, I'm done for the day." Eleanor announced, picking up her purse. "I will see you both tomorrow."

"Good night." Marshall replied and waited until he saw her step onto the elevator before turning to Mary. "So, I guess we have to hold off telling Stan."

She shrugged a little. "At least it gives us more time working together."

"Yeah…"

"You're not worried at all about us being split up?" She asked.

"Of course I am…"

"But…"

"What?"

"Come on, there's a reason why you're so eager to tell everyone when we could just be enjoying it before the crap hits the fan."

Marshall placed the files down and stepped over to her desk, leaning against it. "It's just….It doesn't seem real."

"What? Us?"

"Mare, you have no idea how long I've had feelings for you and I had no idea what you felt for me…" He started to explain. "But now all of a sudden we're married and I guess a part of me is still worried something will happen and you'll change your mind."

"Marshall…" She whispered, reaching over and took his hand. "I'm not going anywhere…In fact it's probably going to be me that screws up and have you wanting to run for the hills."

He smirked. "You'd only follow me and drag me back."

She couldn't help but smile slightly. "Yeah…"

He turned his hand so his was holding hers. "You know, you were right when you said I was an old fashion kind of guy…I love it when you call me your husband…I cannot wait until I can introduce you as my wife…And do you know how much I wanted you when I saw how jealous you were of another woman hitting on me…?"

"I wasn't jealous…." She murmured, standing up and putting her arms around his neck.

He placed his hands on her hips and pulled her to him so he could rest his chin on her shoulder.

"And at the risk of getting a black eye, I love seeing you wear my ring…and calling yourself 'Mann'… I cannot wait for everyone to know you belong to me."

"Take me home, Marshall…" She whispered, moving a hand to run through his hair.

"I should stay…"

"It's late…Everyone else has gone."

"I know but I should look at the paperwork Stan left me…"

She sighed. "Fine…I guess I can find something to do…"

"You don't have to stay." He pulled back to look at her. "It's been a long day…Go home."

"You were my ride this morning, Doofus."

"Oh right." He reached into his pocket and pulled out the keys to his truck. "Here…I'll get a cab home or something."

"I can come and pick you up."

"Mare, there's no point in you going home and then coming all the way back here…"

"I should probably check in on Jinx and Brandi plus I can grab some more of my stuff…Call me when you're done and I'll come get you."

He nodded a little. "Okay, that sounds good."

"I don't think 'sounds good' is really a good way to describe seeing my family."

He smiled and pushed some hair behind her ear. "Come on, you know you love them…"

"Doesn't mean I have to like them."

He kissed her forehead. "I'll try and be as quick as I can so you can get out there."

"You better…" She replied warningly before stretching up to place a kiss on his lips.

_**XxXxX**_

Mary cut the engine in front of her house and just stared at it. She could see the lights were on and although she knew she had to face them sometime, she was dreading telling them she wasn't staying. They would ask questions about where she was going and why she was spending some much time away from home. She wondered what their reaction would be if she admitted that she was actually living somewhere else.

When she entered the house, the first person she saw was Peter.

"Hey, welcome back." He grinned at her. "Good trip."

"Yeah, I guess…" She shrugged, looking around. "Where is everyone?"

"Well, Jinx has gone out for the evening and it was Brandi turn to cook tonight so…"

"She's gone to pick up some takeout?" Mary finished with a small smile.

"Bingo." Peter clicked his fingers and then pointed at her. "I can give her a call…Tell her to pick up some extra…"

"Nah, I'm not staying long."

"You're not?"

"My boss is out of town so its work, work, work…" She explained and headed for her bedroom. "I just came by to grab some stuff."

"Mary…I know it's none of my business…"

She rolled her eyes and turned back to face him. "What?"

"But is everything okay?"

"It's fine." She insisted.

"It's just you've been working a hell of a lot this week and Brandi is worried…"

"Well, you can tell her there is nothing to worry." She cut in. "I'm fine, Pater…Just busy… It's complicated and I can't really tell you what's going on yet…"

"Fair enough." Peter accepted with a shrug. "But can I at least change your mind about joining us for dinner?"

"Marshall's waiting for me." She answered and was surprised at how good it felt to know that.

"Okay." Peter smiled again. "I'll let you get on."

Mary carried on to her bedroom, closing the door so she could have some privacy. First, she grabbed a handful of clothes from the closet and then glanced around to see if there was anything else she wanted to take. She didn't have a lot of personal belongings that meant anything to her so she was happy to leave them here.

She sat down on the edge of the bed and stared at the closet. There was something that hadn't decided whether she wanted to take or not.

The letters from her Father.

For a long time she hung on tightly to them because they were the only real thing she had left of her Dad. It proved that no matter had happened, he did love her but could she really take them with her to Marshall's house? Would he understand her need to have them? Did she really need them now?

Knelling down on the floor, she dug around in the closet and then pulled out the box. She carefully looked through the letters, taking time to read a few lines from each of them.

She placed them back in the box with a sigh. At one point, they would make her feel better…Make her feel like she was close to him again but now she felt nothing. She looked around her room and realized she didn't feel comfortable here… It didn't feel like her home…Not like it did at Marshall's house.

She reached under her shirt and pulled on the two necklaces…One with the Medal of Mary pendent, that her Father had given her the day he left and the other chain with her wedding ring.

It didn't feel right wearing them both. The one representing a past filled with disappointment and pain and the other promising a future with love and security. Her Father had been the soul man in her life and she clung onto him tightly even though he was gone more than he was there but that role had been taking over by Marshall. She hadn't even noticed until they were in Vegas and she could not pin point the moment he had become the most important person in her life.

She unclasped her Dad necklace and ran her fingers over the pendent before carefully putting it on top of the letters and closing the box. She pushed it back in the bottom of closet and stood up. She wasn't sure what she was going to do with the box in the future but right now she didn't care.

She knew she could have a good life with Marshall but it meant she was going to have to let go of her past because her Father was not a part of her life and she refused to hold onto memories that she wasn't entirely sure happened.

She grabbed her cell phone and pressed speed dial one.

"Hey, I don't care if you're done or not, I'm one my way to pick you up." She said once he answered the phone. "I just said, I don't care…It can wait…I need my husband."

She smiled when he immediately back down and agreed to meet her in the parking lot in ten minutes. She would have to remember to play the 'husband' card to her advantage in the future.

She picked up her bag and called out a goodbye to Peter but was out of the door before she heard a reply.

Just like he promised, Marshall was stood waiting for her and when he climbed into the passenger seat, he leaned over and gave her a quick kiss.

"You okay?" He asked, looking at her closely.

She smiled. "I'm good…Really good."

He was a little confused by her behavior but couldn't help but smile to. "Well…Good then…"

She rolled her eyes. "Okay, Doofus, let's go home."

**TBC**

**Please review! **


	7. Chapter 7

**Thank you so much to everyone that reviewed, add to their favorite and story alert lists. I hope you enjoy this! Please let me know what you think! **

**Enjoy!**

_**What Happens In Vegas**_

Marshall looked up when a cupcake was placed down in front of him and saw Mary stood holding out a cup of Starbucks' coffee. He sat back in his chair, glancing back down at the cupcake before up at her again with a raised eyebrow; silently asking what she up to. Despite it being Sunday, they were working and Mary had been letting her feeling about it show all morning.

She didn't reply, instead she just shrugged and placed the coffee down before walking back to her own desk. Marshall watched her for a few seconds, trying to figure out what was going on. He wondered what people would say if they knew he got scared whenever his wife did something nice for him.

"Oh, cupcakes." Eleanor spotted it as she walked by. "Where did it come from?"

Marshall jerked his head in Mary's direction and Eleanor frowned. "What did she do?"

"It's a cupcake!" Mary rolled her eyes. "Eat it…Stare at it…Bury it in a time capsule for all I care…"

Marshall grabbed the coffee and took a mouthful, pleasantly surprised that it was his favorite.

"Well, I'm not convinced…" Eleanor stated, looking at Marshall again. "I'd be carefully if I were you."

"Don't you have photocopying to do or something?"

Eleanor went to reply but she had actually been on her way to the copier. She closed her mouth and walked away.

Marshall laughed a quietly, shaking his head and when he looked at Mary, he could see her smiling as well.

"Lemon flavor…My favorite." He picked it up, peeling off the paper.

She smiled softly. "I know."

**XxXxX**

"Are you done yet?" Mary asked impatiently with a loud sigh.

"Almost." He replied. "Just a few more reports."

She groaned and let head fall down onto of her folded arms.

"Since when do you wait until Marshall is finished before you leave?" Eleanor questioned.

"Since he's taking me out for dinner tonight."

Marshall looked up quickly. "I am."

"Yep." She sat up and looked at him. "You made me work on a Sunday….You are so treating and it's my pick where we eat."

"But…"

"You picked last time." She reminded him. "And I paid."

He couldn't help but smile when he thought about the dinner they shared in Vegas.

"You got her to buy you dinner?" Eleanor asked. "How drunk was she?"

"Marshall! Stop staring at me like and get writing!" Mary ignored her and glared at him when she saw the goofy look on his face.

"Just one more hour." He promised, picking up his pen again.

"I'm setting the timer." She looked at the clock on her phone.

"There's something going on with you two…" Eleanor waved her finger between them. "I don't know what it is but it's starting to worry me."

Mary grinned at her. "I'm glad to hear it."

She rolled her eyes and started to pack up her files. "If there is nothing else you need, I'm going home."

"Goodnight Eleanor." Marhsall looked up again. "Thanks again for coming in."

"No problem." She smiled at him as she pulled on her coat. "Good night."

Mary stood up from her desk and walked over him as soon as the elevator closed behind the office manager.

"Why do you encourage her?" She asked.

"Come on, you can admit that you like her." Marshall grinned at her. "It's just me here."

"Never." She replied, leaning over his shoulder and took the pen out of his hand.

"What are you up to?" He questioned.

"Nothing…" She closed the file he had open.

"Mary…" He protested as she pushed him so his chair rolled back.

"What?" She asked innocently. "Just helping out, Boss."

"Boss?" He repeated.

She picked up the next folder and flicked through it. "This is for the Harrisons' court case which is next month…It can wait until tomorrow…."

"But…"

She threw the file onto the other side of the desk and grabbed the next one. "Urg, Tony Timpson…Next."

"Mary…"

"Last one…Maria Glenn." She read it quickly. "Another that can wait till tomorrow…"

"My Father always said never put off till tomorrow what you can do today."

"Well, that just sounds dumb." She answered and then gestured the clear space on his desk. "Looks like you're done for the day, Boss."

"Again with the boss…What's with that?"

"What? You're acting chief."

"I know but again it feels like I'm being mocked…"

"Why do you always assume the worse?"

"Because I know you so well…"

"Fair enough." She shrugged. "Do you know what day it is today?"

"Mare, if you complain one more time about working on a Sunday..." He sighed. "I told you didn't have to come in."

"I wanted to spend the day with you." She replied. "We've been married for a week."

He couldn't help the smile that spread across his face. "You remembered…"

"Of course I did, Numbnuts." She rolled her eyes and then sat on his lap. "So, the Starbucks coffee was because I wanted to do something nice for you and the cupcake was because we've married a week…"

He placed his hands on her hips. "And the 'boss' thing is because…?"

She leaned forward so her lips were touching his ear. "I was trying to be sexy…"

His grip on her tightened and he groaned as she trailed kisses down his neck.

"I've been thinking of this…of you all day…" She continued, her fingers undoing the top three buttons of his shirt.

"Mare…" He moaned quietly, tilting his head back a little and closing his eyes.

"God, I can't get enough of you…" She moved back to his ear. "If we both get fired then at least we can do this all day…"

She pressed her lips to his, swallowing his moan and deepened the kiss. She tugged his shirt out of his pants and slid her hands underneath.

"We shouldn't be doing this here…" He mumbled when she moved back to his neck but he still pulled her closer to him.

"Relax and let loose for once, boss…" She replied but paused when he tensed a little. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing…" He shrugged but she could tell by the look on his face he was uncomfortable.

"What is it?" She asked again. "Is it because we're here?"

"No…" He sighed. "It's just…When you call me 'boss' I can't help but think about…"

She sat up straight and her mouth fell open. "Please tell me you're not thinking…"

He grimaced a little. "I'm sorry, I can't help…"

"Oh my god, Marshall! That is so sick!" She stared at him. "I'm sat on you, undressing you and you thinking …"

"Sorry…"

"About Stan!" She exclaimed.

"I'm sorry!" He said again. "Let's just forget about it…"

He moved his hands up to the back of her neck and pulled her in for another kiss. He pulled away when he realized she wasn't responding.

"Mare?"

"Now I can't get Stan out of my head!"

He sighed and started to do up his shirt buttons again. She got to her feet and glared at him.

"I swear to god, if you've ruined our sex life after one week then I'm heading straight for the divorce court."

He stood up and kissed the top of her head. "Let me finish up then I'll take you home and make it up to you."

"You better." She sat back down at her desk.

He returned to his own chair and picked up his pen. He glanced over at his wife to see her shudder every now and then with a grossed –out look on her face. They were both surprised when they heard the door buzz and Eleanor stepped back into the office.

"I got all the way home and found I left my keys here." She told them, walking over to her desk and then looked at them. "I thought you would have gone by now...What happened to dinner?"

"I lost my appetite." Mary replied, giving Marshall another glare.

She held up her hands and headed back for the door. "I'm not even going to ask."

"Best not to." Marshall replied, giving her a small smile.

"Well, whatever you did, good luck trying to make it right." Eleanor told him; patting his shoulder she passed his desk.

Marshall looked back to Mary, who now had her head down on the desk. "Thanks, I think I'm going to need it."

_**XxXxX**_

They decided to skip eating out and picked a pizza on the way home. They settled on the sofa with a couple of beers and a movie, both of them forgetting about the incident at the office. Later that night, after they got ready to go to sleep, Marshall sat her on the edge of the bed before looking through one of his draws.

"What you doing?" She asked, watching him.

"I got you something." He held up a small rectangular box.

"You brought me a gift?" She asked in surprise.

"You got me one."

"I got you a cupcake." She replied. "This is something you thought about."

He placed the box in her lap and sat beside her. "Mare, I saw it and wanted to buy it for you…It isn't because you brought me something."

She sighed and ran her fingers over the box. She never really did the whole buying gift for each other in any of her previous relationships.

"Just open it." He nudged her gently. "I'm sure you can give it to Brandi or someone next Christmas if you don't like it."

She stuck her tongue out at him, knowing he was only teasing her. She opened the box and was surprised to see a sliver necklace with a pendent.

"I noticed you took off your gold necklace." He said softly. "I thought maybe if you didn't want to wear your ring on your finger, the platinum would go better with silver…"

"Marshall…" She touched it gently.

"It's St Christopher…the patron Saint of Travelers." He explained. "It remains me of you."

She looked at him, frowning. "How?"

"The story is, while serving the King, one day Christopher saw him cross himself at the mention of the devil…So, he went out to find Satan, who he was thought was stronger than the King because he feared him…He found a bunch of criminals, one of which claimed to be the Devil but Christopher noticed the man avoiding a cross and he realized the Devil feared Christ….So Christopher left to search for Jesus….He came across a hermit praying, who suggested that Christopher could serve Christ by helping people cross the dangerous river due to his large size…."

Knowing how much she hated serious situations, Marshall paused, giving her chance to lightheartedly accuse him of making a crack at her weight but she stayed silent, waiting for him to continue.

She already knew the story of St Christopher but she couldn't help but get drawn in. The tone of his voice was perfect for storytelling and she could invasion a child with her hair and his eyes, curled up in bed, begging for just one more story.

"One day, when a child arrived to cross the river, Christopher placed him on his shoulders but as they crossed, the child grew heavier and Christopher feared he would drown…When he asked the child why he was so heavy, the child revealed himself as Jesus Christ and replied he was heavy with the weight of the world's sins…"

She looked back down at the pendent before back to him. "I don't understand how that can remind you of me…."

"All your childhood you searched for something…someone to follow…Something to believe ….Good people, like the king…bad people like the devil ….but you figured out that wasn't you…and by becoming a Marshal and working in Witness Protection you found like your calling, just like Christopher did by helping people cross the river." He explained, reaching up and brushing her hair back from her face. "You help people cross over into a new life and at times, it feels like they have the weight of the world on their shoulders but you still manage to carry them to safety."

She bit her lip but it failed to stop tears from rolling down her face. She looked up to him again, not knowing what to say…not being able to speak. He kissed her forehead and left his lips to linger there as he continued.

"People also pray to St Christopher to keep them safe while they are travelling…" He told her softly. "And I need you to be safe while you're out working a case."

She pulled back a little so she could look into his eyes. She was constantly amazed at the way he saw her. No one else had ever made her feel so important or loved but he did it effortlessly.

She reached up and stroked his cheek before kissing him softly. She then leaned her forehead against his and closed her eyes; enjoying the feeling of his arms around her, protecting her.

"So, you like it?" He asked, quietly after a few minutes.

She nodded and held it out to him. "Will you put it on for me?"

He smiled widely. "Of course."

She turned so her back was to him and lifted up her hair. Once he had clasped the necklace into place, he kissed the back of her neck once. When she turned back around, one hand went to hold the pendant and the other took his hand.

"The other necklace was given to me by my Dad the day he left…" She admitted.

Marshall looked surprised but didn't comment.

"I believed that there was always a chance that he could come back and make everything better but lately I've been thinking less about him and more about you…You are always there for me, no matter what…You are always on my side even when I'm wrong…You love me for me and not because you want something off me…." She told him. "I was holding on to the idea of him coming back and saving me because I was scared to let anyone else in…but you did it without even trying…without me even noticing."

He squeezed her hand gently and kissed her forehead again.

"I took off that necklace because I wanted you to know that I'm over him now…that I don't need him…I don't need anyone…" She continued. "But I do need you….I don't know how much of what you said about me is true but if any of it is then it's because of you…You make me strong enough …You make me want to be that person."

He didn't say anything, instead he cupped her cheek, running his thumb under her eye to brush away the single tear that had escaped before leaning and kissing her.

**TBC**

**Okay, so far it still about Mary/Marshall getting know each other as husband/wife but I promise all the other stuff is coming soon. I know this chapter hasn't really moved the story along a lot but the scene in the office and about the necklace came to me and this was the only real place they fitted. Hopefully the next update will be soon. Please review and let me know what you think! **


	8. Chapter 8

**Okay, so this is the longest chapter so far but there's a lot happening. I hope you like it! Please review! **

**Enjoy! **

**What Happens In Vegas**

"I just spoke to Stan." Marshall said, stopping in front of Mary's desk. "He said he won't be back until Thursday."

"What's going on?" She asked.

"Something to do with the budgets." Marshall shrugged. "You know we're always the most costly office in the district so I guess he has a lot of explaining to do."

"So, you're still acting Chief?"

"Don't go there…" He pointed at her warningly.

"What?" She asked innocently but couldn't help smiling.

"Anyway, we've got to meet with the Nelsons." Marshall told her.

"What's Daniel done now?" Mary sighed, referring to Tania and David's oldest son as she grabbed her jacket of the back of her chair and stood up.

They had been Witness Protection for almost a year now and had settled into their life really well. Aside from Daniel who had fallen in with the wrong gang and had been suspended from school and arrested twice for shoplifting, they were an easy family to handle.

"Not, Daniel this time but Lucy."

"Oh, the joys of teenager daughters." Mary rolled her eyes, following him out the office. "I thought she was the good one."

"She is but Tania is concerned that she's been spending so much time out and she says she's going to a friend's house but they found out later she not been there at all."

"What has that got to do with us?" She questioned. "Unless she's hanging out with her friends back in Philly…"

"They suspect that she has a boyfriend." Marshall continued. "They wanted us to talk to her about it…Make sure that she knows she's still not allowed to talk about their old lives."

"She's a smart kid…"

"Yeah with her a first real boyfriend…You know what it is like when you fall in love with someone…You want to share everything."

"She's 16 years old, Marshall…I bet this relationship doesn't last a month…It isn't real love."

"She doesn't know that though." He replied. "There might not be anything to worry about but what harm can it do for us to just talk to her? Remind her that no one can know who she used to be…not even if this guy turns out to be her future husband."

Mary sighed. "Okay, fine but I'm not doing all the mushy stuff…that's your job."

Marshall rolled his eyes. "Yeah, dear."

_**XxXxX**_

After knocking on the Nelson's front door, they were greeted by Katie, the couple's 8 year old daughter.

"Mary! Marshall!" She grinned at them. "Did you hear that Molly had babies? Come look!"

Mary glanced to Marshall when the girl ran off. "Who's Molly?"

"Family cat." Marshall answered, stepping inside the door.

"Oh great." She followed him into the house.

"Look! She had six!" Katie announced when they entered the living room and saw six tiny kittens. "Aren't they cute?"

"They are." Marshall agreed, crouching down to get a better look.

The black and white mother cat eyed him curiously but didn't move from her spot curled up on the couch. Five of the kittens took after her color; one was completely black, two were white with black marks, another was black with white marks and the fifth was all black but had white paws. The sixth kitten stood out from the others, with its ginger and white fur.

"Do they have names?" Marshall looked up at Katie, while slowly reaching a hand to them, careful not to startle them.

"No, Daddy won't let us name them because we can't keep them." She pouted and picked up the black one, hugging it tightly before placing it back down when it meowed in protest. "Mom said they're old enough to go to a new family now but I don't want them to go."

"Yeah but just think how happy that family will be to have a little kitten…." Marshall replied, stroking the head of the ginger one when it came closer. "They'll love them just like you love Molly."

"Mary, Marshall…I thought I heard the door." Tania appeared. "Why don't we go into the kitchen for some coffee?"

"Sounds good." Mary nodded, stepped over the cats on her way.

Marshall stood up straight and winked at Katie before following the two women.

"I appreciate you doing this." Tania told them, pouring them both a cup. "She should be home any minute now…"

As if on cue, the door opened and close then they heard Lucy shout out she was home.

"Lucy came in here a minute." Tania called back.

"I haven't got long…I said I would meet some friends…" She said as she entered the kitchen. "Mary, Marshall? Hi."

"Hey, Lucy…How's school going?" Marshall asked with a smile.

"It's good…I'm getting straight A's still." She answered and then glanced at her Mother. "Can I go? I'm going to be late…"

"I asked Marshall and Mary to come talk to you." Tania informed her.

"To me?" She questioned. "Did I do something?"

"No, but your parents are…concerned." Mary told her.

Lucy looked from Mary to Tania before back to Mary. "Concerned about what?"

Tania sighed. "Sweetie, you've been spending a lot of time out…"

"Yeah with my friends…"

"You weren't at Hannah's when I called to speak to you." Tania interrupted. "There must be a reason why you lied…"

"Mom…"

"If you have a boyfriend you have to tell us." She continued.

"A boyfriend?" Lucy repeated. "Is this why you dragged Mary and Marshall here?"

"Lucy, it's not really any of our business whether you have a boyfriend or not but we thought it might be a good idea just to remained you what you can and can't say about your past." Mary joined.

"Oh my god…" Lucy rolled her eyes. "I haven't got a boyfriend…I've got a job."

"What?" Tania said in surprise.

"A job?" Mary glanced at Marshall quickly. "What kind of job."

"At that burger joint in the mall." She replied. "Its a few hours after school and some on the weekend."

"Why do you need a job?" Tania asked. "We have always given you everything you asked for."

"Because Daniel is going off to college next year and Max is starting high school…and Katie wants to do ballet…" Lucy claimed. "I thought it would help if I made some of my own money…I'll be driving soon and I want to buy my own car…"

"But…"

"Having a part time job can be good way for teenagers to learn the value of money." Marshall added. "Also gives them a sense of responsibility."

"So, it's not a problem for me to a have job?" She asked him.

He shrugged. "We'll have to check the place out just be safe but it's not our call."

Lucy looked back to her Mom.

"Why didn't you tell me or your Father?" She sighed.

"Because I wanted to prove to you that I could do it." She explained. "I've been working there for six weeks now and I still managed to do all my homework and keep getting A's."

"Well, I'll have to talk to your father tonight but if Mary and Marshall approve the place then I guess it'll be okay."

Lucy squealed and hugged her then Marshall but Mary stepped away when she got to her. "Thank you, thank you…"

"But if your grades start to slip…"

"They won't!" She promised. "I got to go get ready before I'm late."

Once she rushed out the room, Mary pushed herself away from the counter. "So, I guess if there nothing else that you're concerned about…"

"No, thank you for coming over…Sorry for wasting your time."

"It's no problem." Marshall assured her. "We'll check out the burger place but I'm sure everything is above board."

"Thanks." She smiled and led them to the front door.

_**XxXxX**_

"You're quiet." Marshall commented from across the table as he reached for his coffee. They had decided to stop for coffee and cake on the way back to the office but Mary had barely spoken.

"Just thinking…"

"About?"

"Lucy and her job."

"It's just a part time job, Mare…Most teenagers have them."

"It's not that…It's why she kept it quiet." She explained. "I'm just wondering if we could do the same…"

"Do the same how?" He frowned.

"Just…if we could do our jobs just as well as before we were married then there is no reason why we can't stay partners, right?"

"You don't want to tell, Stan." Marhsall sighed, setting his coffee down again.

"I do." She insisted. "But why not see if this works…We won't be able to tell him till the end of the week anyway so that basically two weeks gone already… What harm can two more weeks do?"

"If he finds out some other way then things will be worse." Marshall stated.

"He won't."

"I don't know…"

"Look, if you really want him to know then we'll tell him…I would completely understand." She told him. "But this might be worth a shot."

"I guess we can leave until next week, see how things stand then." He said reluctantly.

"Are you sure?"

"I don't know whether it'll do any good but we can give it a try." He shrugged. "Even if it just gets Stan on our side…"

Mary grinned widely and leaned over, pressing a kiss to his lips.

"I've actually got a bit of a confession to make." He admitted.

"Uh-Oh…"

"I spoke to my Mom this morning…"

"Oh, did they enjoy their vacation?" She questioned.

Jenna Mann had finally managed to convince Seth to take time off work and go on a six weeks cruise. There had been no way of contacting them so Marshall hadn't been able to tell them the news.

"Yeah, they loved it…"

"But?" Mary predicted. "What is it?"

"I tried to tell her about the wedding but I just couldn't…not over the phone."

Mary sighed in relief, expecting him to say his parents had been upset. "It's okay, Marshall...I understand."

"I feel like such a hypocrite…I mean I insisted told you tell Raph straight away…"

"That's different…Besides, your parents haven't been here to tell."

"So, you're not mad?"

"No, of course not…"

"Good and this actually works out quite well…They're planning on visiting in a few weeks and by then we would have told Stan…I know my Dad will want to know what going to happen with work." He claimed. "And we can tell them in person…together."

"You want me there?"

"Yeah…if you want to be there." He nodded.

"If you want me there…then I'm there."

He grinned. "Great, so that's settled."

Mary leaned back in her chair, wondering if she should come clean about Raph. She hadn't told him for the same reasons that Marshall hadn't wanted to tell his parents but she had lied to Marshall about it. She knew that would upset him. She planned on telling Raphael the moment he got home so as long as she could him away from her family then he would never have to know.

_**XXxXx**_

Marshall looked up from the TV when he heard the door. Mary had to check on one of her witnesses and told Marshall she would meet him at home but had been almost three hours ago.

"Hey, you were a long time." He said, as she entered the room carrying a box and a bag. "Everything okay?"

"Yeah, just had to pick something up." She placed a bag down by the couch. "I got you a gift."

"You did?" He asked in surprise. "What for?"

"I just wanted to get you something…To thank you for the necklace."

"Mare, you didn't need to get me anything."

"I know but I wanted to." She replied, passing him the box.

When he looked inside, his mouth fell open; he would have never have guessed in a millions years that she would ever give him this. He reached in a pulled out the ginger and white kitten and looked up at her.

"You got me a cat?" He said, trying not to laugh.

"I got us a cat." She corrected.

"Us?" His mouth fell open wider. "I never took you as a cat person…"

She shrugged and sat beside him. "They're not as much work as a dog…so she'll be okay with us being at work all day and I figured if we have to go away, Mrs. Jones from next neighbor probably wouldn't mind checking on her since she comes over to water your plants anyway…"

"I meant I never saw you as the type of person to want to own a cat…or any pet really."

"I'm not….or I wasn't….I don't know what made me do it…Maybe I just wanted you to know how committed I am to this relationship…to you." She replied. "You've been great with everything the past week and by holding off tell Stan about us..."

"Mare, I know how committed you are." He assured her. "But I appreciate the thought…but what made you think of a cat?"

"I was talking to Tania, telling her that Lucy's job checked out and then she mentioned about being really busy this week trying to find homes for kittens." She explained. "Katie actually told me to take this one…said she felt sorry for her because she was different from her brothers and sisters and she knew you would take real good care of her."

"Well, I think she's great." Marshall replied, stroking the cat gently and smiling when she purred.

"Tania gave me a list of stuff we will need and I stopped at the pet store on the way home."

"You really have got everything covered." He smiled at her and then kissed her cheek. "Thank you."

"She needs a name still though." Mary stated. "But nothing stupid like, Fluffy and nothing from Star Trek."

"I'm sure we'll figure something out." Marshall placed the kitten on the floor so she could explore her new home.

Mary placed her head on his shoulder and they both watched her slowly making her way around the room.

"Katie loves you, you know?"

"Huh?"

"You're her hero." She told him. "This cat was her favorite and the only reason she was happy to let her go was because she was going to you."

"She's a nice kid."

"And you were great with Lucy early too…"

"Mare?"

"What? I'm just saying…"

"Saying what?"

"That you're good with kids." She stated. "You would make a good Dad someday."

Marshall felt his heart skip and his stomach knot as he blinked at her in surprise for a second time that night. He had been wary of bringing up the subject of children with her before because he had no idea where she stood on the issue.

"I'm starving…" She announced and got up, before he had chance to take the conversation any further.

He watched her walk to the kitchen but looked down when he felt something against his leg and saw the kitten. He leaned down and scooped her up, placing her in his lap again where she curled up to sleep.

_**xXxXx**_

It was nearing the end of the third week of their marriage, Stan had returned and still no one at the office had figured out that Mary and Marshall's relationship had changed. Marshall had thought things were going well, they were still a great team at work and their home life was even better. Despite what Mary said, he knew she actually loved their kitten, which they decided to call Amber because of the shade of orange she was. Mary had hated the name but when they couldn't agree on any other Marshall decided to call it her anyway and Mary eventually caved.

Something had changed today, ever since they had sat down with Kelly Winters from DOJ to talk to their newest witness. Mary had been snippy and making snide remarks the whole time, now Kelly had finally had enough and all hell was breaking loose.

"I mean, seriously…are you sure you know what you're doing?" Mary accused, glaring at the other woman.

Marshall sighed and rubbed his temples to try to reduce the headache he was getting.

"Mary…"

"Inspector Shannon, if you cannot handle this then maybe I should talk to your boss…" Kelly said coldly, standing up.

Marshall sighed and got to his feet too, placing himself between the two women. He quickly looked over the table at the witness, who was watching with an open mouth.

"I'll tell you what….If you've got a problem with me, then why don't you write it all down on a piece of paper, put it in an envelope and then shove it up…."

"Okay!" Marshall cut in, grabbing Mary's arm and pulled her to the door. "Time for a break!"

"Get off!" Mary tried to free herself from his grip but he didn't let her go until they had moved into the empty conference room, next door.

"What the hell is your problem?" He asked.

"I don't like her…"

"Yeah, I got that…She got that and the damn witness got that!" Marshall exclaimed.

"She was all over you…" She muttered.

"Excuse me?"

Mary sighed. "She was flirting with you… and touching you."

He shook his head. "That doesn't give you the right to act like that!"

"She's here to do her job but get a date…"

"And you're here to do your job." He shot back. "You wanted to keep us a secret so we can prove to people we can be partners without anything changing…You really think you acting like is going to help us?"

"Marshall…"

He looked past her to the window and saw Kelly stood, waiting. "I'm going back in there…If you can't be professional then don't bother coming in."

All Mary could do was just watch him stalk out the room. She knew he was right. She knew she had crossed the line but she hadn't realized how hard it would be to watch someone trying it on with Marshall. She had seen plenty of women throw themselves at Raph in the past and it never bothered her. She knew she trusted Marshall a lot more than she did Raph after what happened with Judy but she couldn't work out what made her act like that.

After making four cups of coffee, she went back into the conference room. Handing Kelly a cup, hoping she would take it as a peace offering. The other woman accepted but still looked at Mary with caution. Marshall reached over to take his own coffee and although he didn't comment, Mary noticed that he had placed himself on the other side of the table, away from Kelly.

That night, Mary had arrived home before Marshall who had a last minute meeting with one of his witness. She grabbed a beer and when she dropped down onto the couch, Amber got up from her position at the other end and jumped down.

Mary watched as she walked across the room and settled in the arm chair; she could have sworn the cat glared at her. She knew out of the two of them, Amber preferred Marshall which was understandable…He was the one that fed her and played with her mostly but she was more than willing to curl up on Mary's lap too. She couldn't help but wonder if the cat somehow knew she had pissed Marshall off.

When the door open, Mary jumped up and greeted Marshall in the hallway. "Hey."

"Hey…" He said slowly, closing the door.

"Everything go okay?"

"Yeah, nothing important." He replied, hanging his jacket up.

"Look, about earlier…I'm sorry." She said, following him into the kitchen. "I don't know why it let it get to me so much…"

Marshall sighed and opened the fridge to get his own beer. "Two days ago, Derek saw his boss get beaten to death… He didn't need the two of you screaming at each other…"

"I know…And I apologized to him…and to Kelly."

"I know, she told me." He replied. "She's not going to say any more about it."

"She just kept hinting about the two of you…and there was no way of her knowing you were married..."

"But I know." He cut in.

"What?"

"I know I'm married…" He stated. "Did you see me flirting back or showing any interest?"

"No but…"

"You can't be with me all the time, Mare…You have to trust me."

"I thought you liked it when I got jealous." She said, trying to lighten the mood.

"Not when it's like that…That was…possessive…untrusting." He shook his head.

"I know and I am sorry." She sighed. "I guess I'm still getting used to it…"

"Is it that unbelievable that women find me attractive?"

"No, of course not." She insisted. "I actually find it hard to believe someone hadn't caught you before."

"No woman wants a man who is in love with someone else." He replied. "It's been you from day one, Mare…and it will always be you."

She took a step towards him, throwing her arms around his neck. "I really am sorry."

"I know." He sighed, wrapping his arms around her tightly.

"Can you tell Amber you've forgiven me?" She mumbled into his shoulder.

He pulled back, sure he missed heard her. "What?"

"She hates me…"

"Mare, she's a kitten…"

"She knows things."

Marshall laughed. "You're scared of a cat?"

"I'm telling you…If I never do anything to you, I'm going to wake up with my eyes scratched out!"

_**XxXxX**_

One week later, Marshall staggered out of the bedroom at 5am, rubbing his blurry eyes. When he entered the kitchen, he found Mary eating toast while Amber was licking the bowl of cereal she had finished with.

"What's going on?" He asked. "Why are you up so early?"

"It's your fault." She looked up at him. "Since I've been living here, you've been making me breakfast and now I wake up hungry."

"Breakfast is the most important meal of the day." He yawned and walked over to the coffee machine.

"So, you keep telling me." She muttered.

"You should have woken me…I was going to make pancakes…"

"I could go for some pancakes."

Marshall turned around and looked at her.

"What?" She threw her hands up in the air. "I like food…and I love your pancakes."

"Okay, pancakes it is." He moved to the cupboard to pull out what he needed out.

"So, you think everything will go okay tomorrow?" Mary asked, watching him.

Tomorrow was the Friday before their one month wedding anniversary and they planned on telling Stan the news.

"I honestly don't know, Mare but we've done all we can…" He replied. "Even if we don't get to work together anymore still have each other."

She smiled. "I know."

"You shouldn't encourage her to do things like that…" Marshall nodded his head towards Amber.

"Hey, I'll do anything to keep on her good side."

"You're going to be the one that sneaks our kids, candy before dinner aren't you?" He said, knowing it was risky to bring up the conversation but they hadn't mentioned it since the night she had brought Amber home. After a few seconds of silence, he glanced over his shoulder at her and saw her shrug.

"Probably."

He grinned widely and carried on making the pancakes. They didn't need to have a long discussion on when it would happen; he was just happy that she was open to the idea.

_**XxXxX**_

"Urg!" Mary's head dropped down to her desk after she hung up the phone.

"What's up?" Marshall looked over at her.

"Brandi and Jinx are double teaming me…trying to get me to go over for a movie night."

"That sounds like fun." He replied and she sat up straight to shoot him a look. "What? You like movie nights?"

"Yeah, with you…With Brandi or Jinx…not so much."

Marshall looked around the office and saw they were alone so he got up to walk over to her. "Look, they haven't seen you in a while…they probably miss you…if you want, I could come…"

"No, I wouldn't put you through that horror…"

"I don't mind…"

She sighed. "You're right, they probably do miss me being around…I appreciate the offer but maybe this time I should go alone."

"Okay…"

"You're not upset, are you?" She asked, watching him closely, trying to read his face

"No, honestly it's fine." He gave her a small smile. "Bobby D wanted to go out for a few beers last week so I'll give him a call and see if he's free tonight…"

"Well, now I want to go to your thing!"

He laughed and moved back to his desk. "No girls allowed."

"You've always said I'm not a girl."

He raised an eyebrow. "Trust me…I now know that you are very much a girl."

_**XxXxX**_

Marshall was getting ready to leave the office when Bobby called and cancelled. He had been looking forward to the night out and was planning on tell his friend about him and Mary. He knew Mary and him agreed they wouldn't tell anyone until they told Stan but he trust Bobby to keep it a secret for a day.

Now all he had to look forward to was spending the night in with Amber. As he putting his jacket on, when he heard a buzzing coming from Mary desk and after moving some paperwork he found her cell phone. He answered the call in case it was something important but it was just one her witnesses wondering if she could stop by to help her find another job. Marshall promised to pass the message on before pocketing the phone and heading for the exit.

Driving over to Mary's old house, he wondered whether he was doing the right thing. He was beginning to think that Jinx and Brandi were angry with him for stealing Mary away from Raphael which was way Mary didn't want him to go tonight or wanted them to come to have dinner at their place. He figured if that was the case then he could talk to them and work everything out but he didn't want to upset Mary.

Pulling up outside, he decided he might as well give it ago since he was there anyway. When knocked on the door, he was surprised at the friendly greeting he got from Brandi.

"Marshall!" She grinned. "Come in…We haven't seen you for ages."

"Uh well…"

"Bet you've been working all those long hours like Mary…" Brandi pulled him into house.

"Work?" He repeated confused.

"Hey, Marshall…Good to see you." Peter waved at him the couch.

"Peter." Marshall nodded at him.

"Marshall, what are you doing here?" Jinx walked into the room and smiled at him.

"Mary left her cell at work…" He replied, looking around for his wife.

"Oh, she's gone to rent us some movies." Brandi explained. "But she'll be back soon…You should join us for dinner."

"Well…."

"Marshall?"

Marshall froze at the sound of the voice and slowly turned around to see Raph stood in the doorway.

"Raph?"

"Hi, it's nice to see you." Raph smiled. "What brings you by? Hope nothing work related."

"Mary forgot her cell..." He said, finding it hard to get the words out.

"I was just saying he should join us for dinner." Brandi added and then looked back to Marshall. "We're celebrating…"

"Celebrating what?"

"Mary and Raphael's wedding, of course." She laughed.

"Their wedding?" He repeated and then turned to the other man again.

"Well, since I've been away Jinx and Brandi told me Mary hasn't been spending a lot of time at home…" Raph replied. "I thought I could surprise her by bringing the wedding up to the end of the month."

Marshall's eyes widened slight and he felt like he was going to choke on the lump in his throat.

"Isn't it romantic…Mary doesn't know he's home yet…" Brandi grinned. "We sent her out for the movies so she would be surprised."

"It's all so exciting." Jinx added. "Don't you think?"

"I uh…I guess congratulations is in order." Marshall clenched his fist together tightly and prayed he could escape soon before the tears that threatened to fill his eyes appeared.

"Thank you, Marshall…You're Mary's best friend, so that means a lot coming from you." Raphael grinned.

"I should go…"

"You're not staying for dinner?" Brandi frowned. "Chico's Mom's is here and she's the best cook ever!"

"Mama…" Raph called out and an older woman appeared. "Mama, this is Marshall…He works with Mary…"

"Ah, Mary's Marshall…" She walked over to him and patted his cheek.

"We were just telling Marshall he should join us for dinner…" Jinx told her.

"Yes, there is plenty of food." She claimed. "You need fattening up!"

Brandi laughed and nudged Marshall in the ribs gently. "Yeah, see…You should stay."

"I know it would mean a lot to Mary…" Raph added. "Mama is going to help us plan the wedding and we need to get started soon…Mary would want you involved."

Marshall almost laughed out loud at that but he didn't. He wanted to tell Raph that there wasn't going to be a wedding any time soon because Mary was already married to him but he couldn't…It wasn't his fault that Mary had lied to them both and it wasn't his place to tell him.

"No, I should go." Marshall cleared his throat, trying to sound normal. He placed Mary's cell on the table. "Thanks for the offer."

"Are you okay?" Brandi asked, following him to the door.

"Fine…just been a long day." He replied. "I'll see you around."

It wasn't until he was in his SUV that he let go. Tears fell from his eyes as he gripped the stirring wheel so tight, his knuckles turned white. He had no idea what this meant…Did she regret marrying him? Did she still love Raph? She was playing games with him?

Realizing that she was due home any minute, he started the engine. Even though, he needed to know what was going on, he didn't think he could face her yet…Not tonight.

**TBC**

**Okay, so Marshall finally knows! I wrote all day and night (its 3:30am here) so I could get to this point! I hope you like it! Please review and let me know what you think! **


	9. Chapter 9

**Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed! I love the feedback! Please keep it coming! **

**Enjoy! **

**What Happens In Vegas**

"I'm back." Mary called out when she entered the house, balancing a couple of DVDs and the snacks she had picked up.

She wasn't one for girly nights in but she figured if she was going to have suffer through watching a movie with her mother and sister then she could at least make herself feel better with a good supply of junk food. After placing the bags down on the hallway table, she noticed her blackberry. Sighing in relief, she picked up to check if she had any messages. She had thought she left at the office and was glad she didn't have to go all the way back to get it.

"Mary, hi…" Brandi walked into the room with a big grin on her face.

Mary looked at her curiously. "What is up with you? And what the hell is that smell?"

Mary looked in the direction of the kitchen as the smell seemed to be getting stronger. Someone was obviously cooking but it made her stomach twist and just the thought of eating whatever it was made her want to throw up.

"It smells good, right?" Brandi pulled her towards the kitchen.

"It smells like someone has died in here…" She replied, covering her mouth with her hand but froze when she saw the woman at the stove. "Josephina?"

"Ah Mary!" She greeted her with a tight hug but then pulled back. "You don't like my cooking?"

"I uh…" She looked to Brandi and then to Jinx on the other side of the room. "What's going on?"

The next things she knew, a pair of arms wrapped around her from behind and a chin rested on her shoulder.

"I missed you so much…"

"Raph?" She pushed away from him and then spun around. "You're back."

"I got home about an hour ago…" He moved closer to her, grinning. "Brandi and your mom sent you out so you would be surprised."

Mary looked to his sister and mother again. "You knew about this?"

"We know how much you have missed him being here and we thought it would be nice." Brandi explained, grabbing her hand and pulling towards the table. "Sit down and I'll get you a drink."

Mary let herself be pushed down into the chair but then she stood up. "Look, Raph…We need to talk."

"Yes, yes…of course." He nodded. "We need to catch up but after dinner…"

"Raph…" She sighed and rubbed her forehead.

"Mary, he's just got back…Just try and enjoy the night." Jinx told her. "Besides, he hasn't told you about the surprise yet…"

"Surprise?" She repeated, glancing around the room. "This isn't the surprise?"

"Well, Mary…" He sat down next to her. "I thought that since we were having difficulty finding the time to plan the wedding, then Mama could come help us."

Mary's eyes widened. "What?"

"You are very busy and I know you're not that interested in flowers and color themes…" He continued. "You would have a say in everything we choose of course but you wouldn't have to do the work…"

"Raph…"

"And it will also give Mama something to do…take her mind of losing her brother." He added, squeezing her hand.

Before Mary could say anything in reply, her cell phone rang in her hand, causing her to jump. "I got to take this…"

She left the kitchen and entered her bedroom, closing the door behind her. "This is Mary."

"Mary? It's Tania Nelson…I'm sorry to bother you this late…"

"It's not a problem…What's up?" Mary was actually glad for the distraction.

"Well, there's not really a problem…It's just Katie…She uh…"

"Tania, what is it?" Mary cut in. "Is Katie okay?"

The other woman sighed. "She wanted to talk to you or Marshall…To check on the kitten."

"Oh."

"I tried calling Marshall since you said you were giving him the cat but he wasn't answering his phone…"

"Yeah, he's busy tonight." Mary told her, guessing Bobby and him had gone to a bar, somewhere. "I'll talk to her…"

"Are you sure?" Tania questioned. "Normally, I wouldn't ask but she spent so much time taking care of them…and she just wants to make sure they're okay…"

"Yeah, put her on." Mary sat on the edge of the bed. She had never thought of herself as good with kids but she knew Marshall would want Katie to know Amber loved her new home and he wouldn't want the little girl to worry.

"Mary?"

"Hi Katie…"

"Did Marshall like the kitten?" She asked, straight away.

"He loves her…He called her Amber."

"That's a pretty name!"

"Yeah, well I suggested Carrot but that was a no go." She teased lightly and smiled when Katie giggled.

"Is she okay?"

"Yep, I actually saw her this morning…snoring her head off on Marshall's bed."

"Cats don't snore."

"This one does."

"So, she is really okay."

"She is...She loves living with Marshall." Mary assured.

"Okay, good."

"Mary?" Tania came back on the line. "Thanks, so much for doing that."

"No problem...Next time we came over, I'll get Marshall to bring a photo of her so Katie can see big she's getting."

"She would love that." Tania claimed.

"Okay, well if there is nothing else…"

"No, that's all…Thanks again."

"Bye."

She hung up the phone and just sat there for a minute, not ready to go out and face everyone just yet. She knew she had to tell them the truth but she owed it Raph to tell him first and without an audience. She knew that wouldn't be possible tonight and she wasn't willing to stick around to play happy families.

Pushing herself to her feet, she opened the door and the second she did, she heard laughing coming from the kitchen. She paused in the doorway, watching as Peter and Brandi set the table ready for dinner and Raphael helping his Mom with the food while Jinx poured drinks.

She thought back to a year ago when Jinx had still been drinking, Brandi was with Chuck and Raph with just some guy she knew. All the times, she had come home to find the house was a mess and deserted, she had wished they were a normal family. One that enjoyed each other company and did normal things like eat dinner together and talk…Just like the scene in front of her but it still didn't feel right.

It felt right to be in the neat and tidy two bedroom house across town. It felt right to sit on the kitchen counter, drinking a beer and watching Marshall, cook dinner; with her occasionally helping out. She hadn't failed to notice how he was getting to do a little more each time and she was slowly beginning to learn how to make a decent meal.

"Mary?" Josephine noticed her first.

"I uh, I got to go…"

"What?" Raph frowned. "Go where?"

"Work." She held up her blackberry. "Sorry, I know you've gone to a lot of trouble tonight but something has come up."

"But..."

"It's important." She cut him off. "Sorry."

She headed for the door, ignoring her family trying to call her back. She stopped to grab the ice cream and candy she had brought early, still craving the junk food despite almost losing her lunch at the smell of whatever was being cooked.

_**XxXxX**_

Marshall pushed open the door to the hotel room he had booked and dropped onto the bed, staring up at the ceiling. He wondered what Mary would do when she got home and realized he had been there. He wondered whether she would come looking for him or if she carry on, enjoying the evening with her family.

He knew he couldn't go home…not when he had considered it 'their' home but was now doubting all of that. He thought back to all their conversations about Raphael and her family; he remembered her definitely saying, she had told them. She had led him to believe that Jinx and Brandi were upset and that's why he hadn't seen them.

Did she regret it? Was she keeping it a secret in case they didn't work out and she was hoping they could go back to how it was? Was it all a game to her? A joke?

He pressed the heels of his hands into his eyes, trying to stop more tears appearing. He had warned her how easy it would be her to break him and she promised to try not to…Either she didn't try very hard or she had lied out right.

His cell buzzed in his pocket for the second time that night. The first time he had let it go to voicemail and then listened to the message from Tania Nelson, telling him it was nothing important but Katie wanted to know how the kitten was doing. He didn't want to disappoint Katie but he knew he was not in the right mind to speak to anyone at the moment, so decided to give her a call back tomorrow.

The name flashing up on the caller ID now was Mary's.

He let it go to voicemail again but this time he didn't pick up the message. Instead he got off the bed and pulled open the mini bar, not caring about the overpriced drinks…He needed to forget about everything from the past month and quickly.

_**XxXxX**_

Mary wasn't surprised when she got home and found Marshall wasn't there but she was still a little disappointed. Looking at the clock, she saw it was still early and guessed Marshall assumed she would be staying later to spend time with her family.

She got a soda from the fridge and returned to the couch to turn on the TV, settling on some cop movie that was on. She opened the tub of ice cream and dug her spoon in when Amber jumped up and settled on her lap. She looked warily down at the cat, who rubbed her head against her stomach, purring.

"I'm not sharing you with…" Mary told her. "This isn't just ice cream…it's the good, expensive stuff…"

Amber continued to purr and sat up, edging towards the tub.

"Hey, do I swoop in on your food?" Mary lifted the tub up and away from her then sighed. "I can't believe I'm having a conversation with a cat…"

She picked up her cell phone and saw Marshall still hadn't called her back. Not wanting to spoil his out night but wanting him to know she was home, she sent him a text message.

Two later hours, Mary still hadn't heard from him and Amber was now happily licking melted ice cream from the tube when Mary decided to call it a night and go to bed.

_**XxXxX**_

Mary woke up to Amber nudging against her face; she mumbled something and tried to roll away but Amber would not give up.

"Marshall, you damn cat wants feeding…" She said, refusing to open her eyes and when she got reply, she stretched an arm out to his side of the bed. "Marshall?"

She sat up when her hand touched cool sheets and saw she not only was he missing but it didn't look like he had been there at all. She frowned, glancing at her blackberry and saw she had three miss calls from Raph and one from Brandi but nothing from Marshall.

She forced herself to her feet and went to see if he had crashed on the couch. She had gone to sleep around 1am, so he may not have wanted to disturb her when he got home.

"Marshall?" She called again but was met was silence and she saw he was not in house. She pressed speed dial one on her phone but like last night it went straight to voicemail.

Panic started to build up inside her. If he wasn't coming home, he would have called her… What if something had happened to him and he was hurt?

She quickly searched through her contact list until she found Dershowitz's number, hoping they had just drunk too much and gone back to his place.

"I hate getting phone calls from you this early in the morning…" Bobby said when he answered.

"Is Marshall with you?" She ignored his dig.

"What? At 7:50am? No."

"What happened last night?"

"Mary, what's going on?"

"I can't get hold of him…Last I saw him, he was going to meet you."

Bobby paused for a second. "I cancelled."

"What?"

"Something came up and I couldn't meet him…I haven't seen him and when I spoke to him, he was still at the office."

Mary slowly sat down and gratefully she was in front of the coffee table or she would have ended up on the floor.

"Mary?"

"I need…I need to go…I need to call Stan."

"Call me back…Let me know what's going on… Let me know if can help."

"Okay, thanks."

Mary hung up and immediately dialed Stan.

"McQueen."

"Stan, there's a problem…"

"Mary?"

"I can't find, Marshall…"

"What?"

"I called him a few times last night and left message but he never got back to me…He isn't at home and he's not answering his phone…"

"Mary…Slow down a minute…"

"Stan, something has happened to him…"

"He's here, Mary."

"What?"

"Yeah, he clocked in about an hour ago." Stan informed her.

"And he's okay?"

"Well, I would say he's pretty hung-over but other than that…"

"I'll be there in 20 minutes." Mary cut in and ended the call.

She quickly put some food down for Amber before rushing to get ready; wondering what the hell made Marshall go out, get drunk and not come home.

_**xXxXx**_

When she arrived at the office, Marshall didn't even look up as she walked by his desk.

"What's going on?" She asked, quietly but he kept his eyes on his computer screen. "Marshall?"

She glanced around the office and saw Eleanor was in Stan's office and the others were too busy with their work to be paying any attention to them.

"I spoke to Bobby; he said you weren't with him last night…" She leaned on his desk to get closer to him. "You want to tell me where you were?"

"Not now…" He muttered. "Not here."

She reached over, pressing the button on the monitor to turn it off and when he turned to look at her, she was taken by the anger and pain she saw in his eyes.

"Marshall…" She whispered, her hand moving to his arm but pulled it away before she could touch him. "What the hell is your problem?"

He glared at her again before pushing his chair back so he could stand up. She watched him storm across the office and opening the door to a conference room with so much force, it banged against the wall; gaining everyone in the office attention.

Mary stared after him, open mouthed for a few seconds before following and she slammed the door shut with just as much force as he did.

"You stayed out all night; you scared the hell out of me…I thought you had been hurt or taken….or …." She said angrily but he kept his back to her, leaning his hands on the table with his head down. "What the hell gives you the right to act like this?"

"You got a call last night…from Susan Young…She wants you to help her find a new job."

"Have you lost your mind?" She asked. "I don't give a damn about that! She's already on her sixth job in the last four months…"

"She called your cell…and I answered it." He added.

She frowned. "What are you talking about? I have had my cell all night."

"You left it here…" He stood up straight and turned to face her. "I took it over to your place…"

Mary continued to stare at him in confused for a few seconds before joining all the dots together. "Marshall…"

"I thought that maybe Jinx and Brandi were upset about you breaking up with Raphael for me and I stupidly thought if I went over there then I might be to talk them around…" He continued. "Imagine my surprise when they wasn't angry…in fact they were friendly…Happy to see me…even invited me to dinner…cooked by my wife's future Mother in Law!"

"Marshall…let me explain…" She stepped closer to him but quickly backed away, moving to the other side of the table.

"Your fiancée even asked me to stick around so I could help plan your wedding…"

"Please just let me….Raph's been away….When we got back from Vegas he had already left to go back home because his uncle had died…"

"You told me they knew…" He stated. "And all this time, it was tearing me up inside because I thought I came between you and your family just when you were all beginning to get along…"

"Marshall…"

"I thought….God, Mary…I believed what we had was real…"

"It is…" She insisted. "I love you…"

"I don't believe you…" He shook his head, tears filling his eyes but he blinked them away, refusing to let them fall.

"No, you do…You know I love you…" She claimed.

Marshall turned his back to her again and closed his eyes. He still had no idea what to think and was saved by his cell phone.

"Marshall, let it go…" Mary pleaded but he answered the call anyway.

"This is Marshall… What? Where are you? Stay there…Don't move." He hung up and pocketed the phone again, only glancing at Mary as he walked towards the door. "I've got to go…"

"Marshall…" She followed him out but he still didn't stop.

"What's going on?" Stan questioned. He had heard the door slamming and the raised voice coming from inside the conference but couldn't work out what was being said.

"Jimmy Matson just called…sounds like he's high as a kite again…I'm going to pick him up before he gets himself killed or arrested…"

"You're going alone?" Stan asked.

"I can handle Jimmy."

"This guy is a violent criminal and you said yourself, he's probably took something…" Stan replied. "I don't want you handling him on your own…take back up."

Marshall looked back at Mary for a second before his eyes moved past her. "Charlie?"

The younger Marshal looked up in surprise at his name. "Uh, yeah?"

"Let's go."

"What? Me?" His eyes widened in surprise. "But Mary's your partner…you do everything together…"

Marshall looked at her again. "Yeah, but I need someone I trust to watch my back."

No one spoke as Marshall turned and headed for the exit; they all just watched him stunned. Mary felt like she had to been slapped in the face and punched in the stomach. She blinked a few times willing to tears not to well in her eyes.

"Go." She told Charlie when she saw him still stood there. "He won't wait around for you."

Charlie looked from her to Stan, who nodded, silently telling him he should go. He quickly dropped the folder he was holding and grabbed his jacket before running out the office.

"Mary..." Stan started but she shook her head.

"Not yet, Stan…please…" She walked quickly towards the bathroom, feeling sick to her stomach.

"Inspector!" Stan called after her but when he went to follow Eleanor placed a hand on his arm.

"Give her some space…" She said softly.

She had no idea what had happened between the two Marshals but she knew it wasn't good. She had never seen Marshall so angry looking before and she never seen Mary cry…There was something definitely wrong.

**TBC**

**Sorry, not a very happy chapter! Please review and let me know what you think! **


	10. Chapter 10

**Again, thank you so much to everyone who reviewed and added this to their alert listed! Please keep reviewing! This is another long chapter and again, a lot happening. Let me know what you think! **

**Enjoy! **

**What Happen In Vegas**

Mary splashed some cold water on her face and stared at herself in the mirror. She couldn't believe she ever thought it was a good idea to lie to Marshall about Raphael but she had actually been doing it to protect him…At the beginning, he had doubts about her commitment to him and she didn't want him to think she didn't tell Raph because she still had feelings for him. Ironically, after spending a month trying to prove how much she loved him and wanted to be with him, it was crumbled because of a stupid lie. She thought back to the night when he had asked her to just be honest with him…It was the one thing he had asked of her and she couldn't even do that.

Her cell phone buzzed and she pulled it out of her pocket, praying it was Marshall but it was Brandi.

"What?" She answered.

"Mary? What's going on?" Brandi questioned. "It was Chico's first night back and you ran off…and you're not taking our calls…"

"Why didn't you tell me Marshall came over last night?" She questioned.

Brandi paused, surprised by the change of topic. "I don't know, it never came up…."

"He came over looking for me and you didn't tell me?"

"Mary, you didn't actually stay here long enough for us to tell you anything…We figured you would want to say hello to Raph before anything else…"

"Well, for future information I want to know about Marshall first….before anything…" Mary continued. "You have no idea what you've done!"

She knew deep down it wasn't Brandi's fault…She knew it was her own fault but she couldn't stop herself from getting angry.

"What I've done?" Brandi repeated. "Mary, what the hell are you talking about? Is Marshall okay?"

"No, Brandi he is not…" Mary told her. "He's not okay…"

"What happened?" She questioned concerned.

"Nothing…just...nothing…" She sighed.

She turned when she heard the bathroom door open and saw Eleanor stood holding a glass of water.

"I've got to go." Mary told Brandi.

"But Mary…" She heard Brandi say before she cancelled the call.

"Come to find out the gossiped?" Mary accused, turning back around and washed her hands.

"No…." Eleanor stepped fully into the room, letting the door close behind her. "I thought I would check on you to see if you were okay."

"I'm fine…" She shrugged.

"Mary, what Marshall said…"

"Look. That was nothing…Just a stupid argument." Mary claimed, scrubbing her hands harder.

Eleanor sighed and placed the glass on the sink beside her. "Mary, its okay to be upset."

She glanced across at the other woman. "It's complicated."

"Yeah, it always is when it comes to you and Marshall…"

"What is that meant to mean?"

"Just that you two are so close…I never seen two people with a friendship like yours." Eleanor stated. "It is if the two of you are in your own little world when you're together…No one else gets a look in…"

Mary frowned and folded her arms. "He's my best friend…my partner…"

"I'm not saying it's a bad thing…" Eleanor held up a hand.

Mary sighed and leaned back against the sink. "I screwed up…"

"Let him cool down and then talk to him…" Eleanor suggested. "He didn't mean what he said…"

"How do you know?"

"Because I saw his face as he walking away." She replied.

Mary closed her eyes and took a shaky breath as she felt herself starting to tear up again.

"For whatever reason, he said what he said to hurt you….but it hurt him too to say it." Eleanor said gently. "You two are too close…too strong to let anything come between you."

"I really hope you're right…" Mary whispered. "But I just don't know this time…"

"Just talk to him." Eleanor walked towards the door but stop before exiting. "Be honest with him…I'm sure that's all he wants."

Mary almost broke down again at that; even Eleanor knew what her husband wanted more then her.

_**XxXxX**_

Charlie glanced across at Marshall from the passenger's seat but before he could say anything, he changed his mind and closed his mouth. He normally liked working a case with Marshall because he always encouraged him to ask questions; no matter if it was about what they were working on, US Marshal Regulations, even just something that caught his eye or whatever was on his mind.

Today though, Charlie knew to keep his mouth shut.

They had arrived at Jimmy's house and found he had already passed out. After checking he was still breathing, they decided to just let him sleep it off. Marshall had advised his girlfriend, Melissa to go home but she was worried about him and wanted to stay. So, they called his sponsor and Marshall and Charlie hung around he turned up. Marshall left his number with both of them and told them call if they needed anything before they left.

They pulled into the Sunshine building's parking-lot but Marshall kept the engine running.

Charlie hand paused on the handle and glanced across at him. "Are you not coming?"

Marshall shook his head. "Tell Stan I'm taking an early lunch."

"Oh…Okay." Charlie opened the door; he hesitated again before getting out.

The second he had closed the door, Marshall pulled back out and drove off at speed.

Charlie sighed and shook his head, hoping he wouldn't have to tell Mary that Marshall had left again.

_**XxXxX**_

Mary had visited Susan Young and helped her fill in some job application forms before returning to the office. With no other witnesses to visit or any problems to deal with, she spent the rest day of the afternoon catching up on paperwork. She wanted nothing more than to go home for the day but she couldn't face going to her house and she didn't know if Marshall's house was her home anymore.

It was almost 4pm before Marshall came back but he didn't speak to her and she didn't speak to him. Everyone else in the office made excuses to stay out of both of their way.

Mary glanced up a few times and caught Marshall watching her but as soon as they eyes met, he looked away quickly. She hadn't been able to concentrate on her work since he had returned but she stayed sat at her desk, pretending because she knew it was only way she could be near him right now.

"Marshall?" Stan called from his doorway. "Can I speak to you for a minute?"

Marshall sighed loudly and stood up. Mary watched him walk across the room and into Stan's office. She was pretty sure their boss would try and find out what was going between the two of them and she wondered what Marshall would tell him.

Stan closed the door and gestured for the younger man to take a seat but Marshall opted the stay standing, leaning against the filing cabinet.

"So, this morning…" Stan started once he sat behind the desk.

"I want to apologize for that," Marshall cut in. "It was inappropriate behavior and I was out of line…"

"Marshall, I didn't call you in here to reprimand you." Stan told him. "I wanted to make sure you're okay."

"I'm fine."

"You took Charlie out with you today instead of Mary and then you spend the rest of the day out of the office…" Stan stated. "Since you've got back you can cut the tension out there with a knife…"

"It's….personal but it should have never been brought to work…"

"Eleanor spoke with Mary after you left….she was quite upset." Stan told him. "She didn't actually said what happened between the two of you but she did say she was the one that screwed up."

Marshall ran a hand over his face; he wished it didn't hurt to hear that she had been upset and that it was his words that caused it.

"I know even the best partnership can go through rough patches…" Stan continued. "What I need to know is, is this fixable…"

Marshall looked up but he didn't know what to tell him.

"If you don't feel safe working a case with Mary…"

"There is no one better at their job then Mary." Marshall interrupted. "I know she would never put me in danger….Like I said, I was out of line with what I said."

"And that the problem is personal…got it." Stan stood. "But you still didn't answer my question…Is this fixable?"

Marshall sighed and shrugged in defeat. "I really don't know, Stan….I hope so."

"Look, it's a quiet day…if you want to take the rest of the afternoon and get out of here…"

"Thanks, Stan…" Marshall nodded. "I appreciate it…"

"And if you want to talk about anything…my door is always open." Stan added. "I don't want to lose either of you…You're the best pair I've ever worked with."

"Thanks, Stan…"

"And tell Mary she can go to…" He added. "If she wants."

Marshall gave him a small smile and nodded his understanding before leaving the office. He returned to his desk, tidying up his files and logging off his computer. When he stood back up, he noticed Mary watching him silently. When he glance around the office, saw everyone was trying to look busy and uninterested in them but for a bunch of Marshals, they were failing miserably.

He stepped over to Mary's desk, walking around the other side, so his back was to everyone else and leaned his hands on the desk so he was blocking Mary from their view too.

"Stan has given me the afternoon off…" He mumbled, quietly. "He said you can go to, if you want."

"It's not like I'm getting any work done anyway…" She looked down at pile of paperwork in front of her.

"I'm going straight home…" He continued. "If you wanted a ride…."

Her head snapped up to him again, quickly in surprise at his invitation.

"I mean, we need to talk…" Marshall said when she stayed silent. "If you're not busy...If you want to."

"We do…and there is nothing I need to do that is more important." She told him.

"Okay…" He stood up straight.

"I got my car here, so I'll meet you there?" She put all her paperwork into one pile. Despite, not wanting to let him out of her sight again, she thought it might be a good idea to use the ten minute drive to get her thoughts in order.

"Okay…" He repeated, this time with a nod.

She watched him grab his jacket and leave before standing up herself. Checking her cell, she saw she had another miss call from Raph. She knew she would have to talk to him, even if her marriage was only short lived, she and Raphael were over, but right now all she cared about was sorting things out with Marshall.

It took 30 minutes for her to get home, deciding to stop for some beer on the way. She had a feeling it was going to be a long night and they would need it. She hesitated when she reached the front door, wondering if she should knock or just let herself in. Shaking her head and telling herself that she was over thinking everything, she pushed her key into the lock.

She placed her bag next to the door and hung up her jacket, before going to look for Marshall. She found him the kitchen, cleaning but he didn't turn around when she entered the room.

"Sorry I was so long…" She said softly. "I stop for some supplies."

"About what I said early…I shouldn't have…I do trust you to watch my back….to do your job." He told her. "I just…."

"Wanted to hurt me." She finished off. "It's okay; I understand…I deserved it."

He stepped out the way when she pulled opened the fridge to put the beer away. When she closed it again, she back against it and watched him wiping over the counters.

"So…." She started after a few second. "Do you want me to start?"

He finally looked up at her. "Just tell me why."

"Raphael's uncle died so he had to go home…that's where he's been for the past four weeks." She told him. "I felt I owed it to him to do it face to face and not over the phone…And I didn't think it was fair to tell Jinx and Brandi before him."

"That explains why you hadn't told him but not why you told me you did…."

"I thought…I don't know why I thought it was a good idea." She admitted. "I do know that I didn't want to upset you."

"So you lied to me?"

"You were so concerned about my true feelings about this…about us that I was worried you would think there was another reason for me not telling Raph."

"I don't believe you…"

Mary frowned. "What do you mean, you don't believe me?"

"You know me, Mare…You know me better than anyone else and you would have to know I would understand." He stated. "You even knew I didn't want to tell my parents over the phone… Why would you think I would have a problem with you wanting to speak to Raph in person?"

"You asked me to tell him straight away…You told me he had to know…"

"I didn't know he was out of the country!" He exclaimed.

"This is getting us nowhere…" She rubbed her forehead.

"I want to know why you kept this from me…"

"I told you…"

"Mary!" He cut in. "I know you…I know that's not the reason."

"Well, if you know me so well then I guess I don't have to tell you anything!" She snapped, pushed herself off the fridge and stormed out of the room.

Marshall stood still for a few minutes before picking up the cloth again and carried on cleaning.

Mary threw herself onto the couch, pulling her legs up to her chest and rested her forehead on top of her knees. She hadn't wanted to hurt Marshall by him finding out Raphael still didn't know their relationship was over…That was the only reason she never told him. Why would he think there was more to it? What else could it be?

She waited thirty minutes and she could still hear him moving around in the kitchen. Letting out a frustrated groan, she stood up and went back. She stopped in the doorway when she saw him cooking.

"We haven't got much food in and I'm not in the mood for takeaway so I figured we could just have pasta with sauce…" He glanced at her and saw her staring with his mouth open. "What?"

"We're in the biggest argument we've ever had…You spent all day not speaking to me because I hurt you but you're still making dinner….for me?" She questioned. "You really are insane…"

"We have to eat…"

"Marshall…"

"When I told you that I didn't tell my Mom about us…Why didn't you tell me the truth then?" He cut in.

"Because you already thought he knew…Tell me you wouldn't have been upset…"

"Of course I would have been…" He replied. "But being upset is nothing compared to what I felt last night…Having to stand there and listen to your family excitedly talking about your wedding to another man…"

"I never ever wanted you to find out like that." She insisted. "I thought I would be able to tell him and you would never need to know…"

"That doesn't make it okay, Mare…"

"I know…It just got out of hand…I didn't realize he would be gone for so long." She admitted. "And I did try and tell him over the phone but I just couldn't…"

Marshall turned back to the food again and she watched him getting everything he needed to make the sauce.

"Can I help?" She asked, quietly.

"I need some tomatoes chopped." He replied.

"I can handle that." She grabbed a knife and stood beside him.

They silently worked together and after she had finished chopping she set the table. Once she was done, she sat down and just waited. They passed another ten minutes in silence until Marshall carried two plates of pasta to the table.

He sat opposite her and picked up his fork but he just pushed the food around, not bothering to lift it to his mouth. He sighed and dropped it again, bringing his both his hands to cover his face.

"I am sorry…" She whispered. "If I could go back and do it over, I would."

"What would you do over?" He asked. "Telling Raph the truth…telling me the truth or making sure I don't find out."

"Marshall, just tell me what I need to do to make this better."

"Just be honest with me!"

"I am!" She pushed her plate away from her.

"You're not! I know when you're keeping something from me!"

"Really? How has that worked out for you in the past month?" She shot back but even as she was saying the words, she regretted them.

Marshall stood up so fast, that the chair fell backwards and he was out the room before it hit the floor. She was about to get up and follow him when he stormed back in; she recognized the same look of anger from that morning.

"You want to know what this is really about?" He exclaimed, his voice raising. "This about him! About him and your inability to let him go!"

"No! You're wrong! I don't love Raph…I don't think I ever truly did…"

"Not Raphael! Your Father!"

Mary blinked in surprise. "He's got nothing to do with this…"

"Of course he has…He's everything to do with whatever you do…" Marshall claimed. "You've built your life around him…"

"He wasn't even there for most of my life!" Mary said defensively and stood up.

"But you let him affect your choices..."

"Marshall, I didn't tell you because I thought you would be hurt by it!" She insisted again. "Why can't you just accept that?"

"You didn't tell me because you wanted to keep me separate from your life!" He shouted back. "Because you like to keep the people in your life in different bubbles… Your family... Work colleagues… Then your father and me."

She stared at him incredulous. "You're crazy…Why would I lump the most important person in my life in with the man who abandoned me and wreaked my childhood…"

"Because he was the most important person in your life for such a long time." Marshall lowered his voice.

"Marshall…" She whispered. "He wasn't….He was my Dad and he left me."

"I know…and you don't know why…You know he loved you…the two of you had such a close relationship so you can't work out why he left you behind." Marshall continued. "It had to be something else…someone else… So, you think by keeping me….our relationship away from everyone else…away from the real world it will protect it…."

"Is that such a bad thing?" She asked. "That I don't want anything to wreak us."

"No, Mare it's not a bad thing but you can't control everything." He said softly. "It's not healthy."

"We have been doing pretty well the last four weeks." She claimed. "We've been happy, right?"

"You know, I've been happy but you were wrong earlier when you said I had no idea you were keeping something from me." He replied.

"I never should have said that…"

"I love you, Mary….and I loved being with you the past month…It's been the best time of my life…" His voice cracked with emotion. "But I knew you were holding back….and I ignored it…I ignored because I wanted to protect us just as much as you do…"

"So, you don't hate me?"

"No, I don't hate you…"

"You think we can work this out?" She walked towards him. "You'll stay with me?"

"I want to…but not if it's going to be like this." He told her. "You've got to believe in us, Mare…That's what love is about…taking a risk on someone else and trusting them not to break your heart."

"I do trust you."

"I'm not your father….I'm not going to leave when things get tough….and I'm not going to start drinking to handle things…I'm not going to make you deal with all my problems or ask for money….I'm not going to sleep with random women because we had an argument…And if I get a new partner or a new job, it doesn't mean I'm going to like it better than working with you…"

"I know you won't….but don't you see…that's why I didn't want them to know." Mary told him. "My family…they ruin everything and they drive people crazy… I don't want you getting drawn into all that!"

"I hate to break to you, Mare…but I'm already drawn into that." He replied. "The only way we're going to work is if you let us to be a real married couple…You've got to ask yourself if you really want that or if you just want this…what we've had for the past month."

"I want people to know, Marshall…please, you've got to believe me…I admit I'm worried that Jinx and Brandi will drive you over the edge and that Stan will split us up…but I want them to know…I want to live my life with you without hiding it."

"Promise me, that there is nothing else that is going to come out and knock me on my back again…" He whispered, slowly reaching out and link one hand with hers.

"There's not." She shook her head.

"What about Raphael?" He asked. "Did you….?"

"Did I what?" She frowned. "Did I sleep with him?"

He sighed and looked down at the floor.

"No, Marshall…No, I would never…" She insisted. "I was surprised last night when I got home and he was there…I made an excuse and left as soon as I could because I wanted nothing more than to see you."

"Okay."

"I can call him…Tell him it's over…" She suggested taking her cell phone out but he reached out and took if off her.

"Not tonight." He told, placing it on the table and then pulled her closer. "Tonight should be about us…"

She had never been more regretful in all her life when she felt his lips against hers as he backed her in the direction of the bedroom. She held onto him tightly and deepened the kiss, she really thought she had screwed everything up and she was going to lose him.

_**XxXxX**_

Marshall woke up the next morning and found Mary looking at him.

"Were you watching me sleep?" He question, rolling on his side to face.

She shrugged. "Just surprise you're still here…"

"Mare, I'm not going to say that what happened didn't hurt me but I refuse to walk away without even trying." He reached out and brushed some hair off her face. "I think, we are both still getting used to being together and its normal for us to make mistakes but we just need to be honest with each other…"

"Thank you….for not giving up on me and not with just with all this….You have always been there for me, no matter."

He smiled and kissed her forehead. "We should get up…I said I would check on Jimmy Matson this morning and I'm starving…how about I do us some eggs for breakfast?"

She pulled a face. "Maybe just toast for me…I feel a bit sick."

"Sick?" He repeated with a smirk. "You're not pregnant are you?"

"Don't be an idiot." She rolled her eyes and got out of bed. "It's probably because I didn't eat yesterday."

"Well, let's get some food and get to work."

"Have you got a lot on today?"

"Just Jimmy and paperwork…."

"I was thinking we should go over to my place and talk to Raph….and we might as well tell Stan today to."

Marshall nodded. "Okay, sounds good."

She smiled and reached over to take his hand as they left the bedroom.

_**XxXxX**_

"Oh no…"

"What?" Mary looked across at him as they pulled up outside Jimmy's place.

"Look." He nodded his head across the street to where Bobby Dershowitz was stood talking with a couple of officers.

"Great."

"How's our favorite detective doing?" Marshall asked, as he walked up behind him.

Bobby groaned and spun around. "I might have known you two would turn up."

"Aw, isn't that sweet." Mary said sarcastically.

"So, what's going on?" Marshall questioned.

"A woman by the name of Melissa Gorman was found beaten this morning…" Bobby explained. "She's lucky to be alive….I take it she's one of yours?"

"No, she's not but we do know her." Marshall sighed.

"We've spoke with the neighbors and it looks like the boyfriend is in the frame but they don't know much about him….care to shed on light on it?"

"Let us do our thing and we'll get back to you with what we know." Mary told him, glancing at Marshall and could see the guilt in his eyes.

"I hate it when you say that." Bobby muttered and walked away.

"Marshall…"

"I left her here with him…"

"You can't babysit them….She isn't even in the program…She knew what he was like and was willing to stay…there was no way of you knowing what was going to happen." She assured him. "Look, I'm going to go talk to some neighbors…see if any of them saw anything….you keep Dershowitz busy."

Marshall nodded and cross the street to join Bobby.

"So, ready to talk to me?" Bobby asked and then rolled his eyes when he stayed silent. "Is there anything you can tell me?"

"Let's just say that when we find the person who is responsible for this, it's going to be me cuffing him and locking him up."

Bobby looked at him for a second, over the past couple of years he had got to know the pair of Marshals quite well and despite hating them at first for giving criminals a second chance; he knew they were very good at their job and he respected that.

"Fair enough." The detective shrugged. "So, what was the deal with that phone call I got from your partner yesterday...She tells me you've disappeared and then I get a text message five minutes later to say you're safe and sound at the office…"

"A little mix-up due to lack of communication….It's complicated."

"Well, I had never heard Mary so freaked…" Bobby trailed off when saw the look on Marshall's face and turned quickly to see a car speeding down the road towards Mary.

"Mary!" Marshall shouted, pushing Bobby out the way as he sprinted towards her.

Mary looked from the lady she was talking to, to Marshall and was surprised to him running towards her. She froze when she turned and saw the car but quickly snapped back into action, shoving the lady back onto the sidewalk just in time.

She felt her feet leave the ground and as she was falling, she heard a bang and the sound of breaking glass. The next thing she knew, she was on the floor with pain shooting up her arm.

"Mary?"

She shook her head a few times, trying to clear it as she slowly moved. She surprised and relieved that the pain seemed to be just in her arm.

"Mary?"

She remembered Marshall had called her before she had seen the car but that didn't sound like him…It sounded like Bobby. A police officer crouched down beside her but Mary pushed her away and sat up fully to look around; there were people beginning to crowd around to see what was going on and the few police officers that had been on the scene already was trying to push them back. When the crowd parted slightly, Mary finally saw Bobby in the road, knelling next to a still body.

"No….no!" She crawled into the road.

"Are you okay?" Bobby asked her when she reached his side.

"Marshall?" Mary ignored him, not being able to take her eyes off her unconscious partner. "Marshall, wake up…"

"Mary, don't move him…" Bobby grabbed her hands.

"This can't be happening…" she shook her head, her eyes moving down Marshall's body. His right arm was in stick out at the wrong angle and there was a pool of blood already forming of the tarmac. She gently ran her fingers over his face, not caring about the blood. "Marshall, don't do this to me…don't go…don't leave me…Please…"

**TBC**

**Okay, I'm sorry but I do love cliffhangers! I think some of you, guessed something like this was going to happen! Please review and let me know what you think.**


	11. Chapter 11

**Okay, this took me a lot longer to update then I thought it was. Its quite a long chapter and a lot happening so I hope it's worth the wait! **

**Thanks to everyone who's reviewed! Please keep them coming! **

**Enjoy! **

**What Happens in Vegas**

"Inspector Shannon?" The doctor entered the room, glancing up from the clipboard in her hand. "I'm Dr. Williams…

Mary sat up. "How's my partner?"

"I'm sorry, I don't know; I'm not his doctor." She replied. "It says here, you've hurt you wrist."

"I fell on it." Mary told her. "But I really want to know what is going on with the other Inspector that was brought in…Please…I've been here ten minutes, why hasn't anyone told me anything?"

"It's possible that they will wait until they can get hold of his family and speak to his next of kin…

"That's me." Mary claimed. "I'm his wife."

"I thought you were his work partner."

"I'm both."

"Let me check you over then I'll go and see what I can find out." Dr. William suggested.

"Fine but this is nothing…"

"I just need to ask some questions…Do you have any allergies?"

"No."

"Any pre-existing medical conditions?"

"No." Mary said beginning to get frustrated again.

"No chance of pregnancy?"

She remembered how Marshall had asked her that only a few hours earlier. Their breakfast that morning, replayed in her mind. She thought about how despite all their talking the night before she couldn't help but wonder whether Marshall truly meant it when he said he still wanted to be with her. She hadn't even seen the raw pancake batter until it hit her in the face. He had just laughed when she glared at him. Then he told her to stop thinking too much…that while her lying had hurt him, he really was not going anywhere.

"Mary?" Dr. William said when she remained silent.

"What?" She looked up at her.

"Could you be pregnant?" She asked again.

"What? No…I uh…" Mary shook her head a little, trying to clear the fuzzy feeling. "Look, none of this is important! I need to see Marshall…I need to see my husband!"

"I'll be as quick as I can." The doctor promised. "Any vomiting?"

"Not since this morning…" Mary sighed, moving her hand to the two chains hanging around her neck.

Dr. Williams glanced up at her. "This morning?"

"What has that got to do with my arm?"

"Are you sure there is no way you could pregnant?"

"Why do you keep asking me that? I said no…"

"You hesitated when I asked you the first time…You've experienced nausea…."

"I'm on birth control."

"Nothing is 100 percent effective." She shrugged. "We can do a test just to be sure if you would like…If you are then it would be a good idea to check everything is okay after the fall."

Mary stared at her, wondering whether there was any way she could be pregnant. Now would be the worst time to have a baby… Marshall and she were still getting used to being married and she wanted to be able to enjoy being with him first.

"Inspector?"

"I uh….I need to speak to Marshall."

"Okay, we can do a quick pregnancy test and then while you're having an x-ray done I'll find out what's happening with your husband," Dr. Williams said. "Does that sound good?"

"Fine, whatever gets me out of here quickest."

Twenty minutes later, Mary was back from the x-ray waiting for Dr. Williams to return. She couldn't believe all this had happened. She wished she would have taken Marshall's question that morning about her being pregnant, seriously. At least then she would have been able to discuss it with him. When Dr. William had first suggested the test, she only agreed to things moving along but since then she couldn't help but wonder if she was in fact pregnant. She had definitely been feeling different lately; she was always hungry and put on a little weight but she put that down to Marshall's cooking and insane rule about getting up early for a big breakfast. She also tried to remember if she had taken her pill at any point when they were in Vegas but she just didn't know. She had always been so careful with Raph because the last thing she wanted was to have a baby…It was still the last thing she wanted.

"Fortunately it looks like you haven't broken anything but you have sprained your wrist." Dr. Williams stated as she re-entered the room.

"What about Marshall?"

"Well, I couldn't find out too much, he is still being treated but I found out that they had taken him down for a brain scan …"

"A brain scan?" Mary interrupted, in alarm.

"It's routine for head injuries." She assured her. "He was unconscious when he was brought in but came around not long after he was admitted…They also suspect that he has a dislocated shoulder and a broken arm but until they do an x-ray they won't know how bad it is."

"But you think he'll be okay?"

"I honestly couldn't tell you…Head injuries are complicated and there is a chance he's suffered internal bleeding…Until I've spoken with his doctor then I can't say."

Mary sighed. "How long is that going to take?"

"He should be available soon…Let me wrap your wrist and I'll go find him."

"Okay…"

"So, I hear he was hit by a car and that he pushed you out the way…" The doctor said, as she carefully lifted Mary's wrist.

"Yeah, I didn't even see it until it was too late…" Mary winced.

"He's quite a hero that husband of yours…" She smiled slightly. "He'll make a good Dad."

Mary's head snapped up. "You mean…?"

"The results came back positive….Congratulations."

"Oh…Wow." Mary whispered, staring ahead.

"I'm guessing by that reaction it wasn't planned…"

"We've only been married four weeks…We've only been together four weeks."

"You got married right after getting together?"

"We got married before getting together…" Mary found herself saying; it actually felt good to talk about her marriage to someone other than Marshall. "He's my best friend…We were in Vegas, got drunk and eloped….We decided the next day that we wanted to give us a go."

"You are kidding me, right?" Dr. Williams stopped what she was doing to look at Mary to see if she was serious.

Mary get out a small laughed and rubbed her forehead. "Crazy, huh?"

"Sounds like something out of Hollywood…"

"Well, that's not all…No one else knows about it…Not our boss…not his family…not mine…Not my fiancée…"

"Fiancée?" "

"If you ask anyone that knows me then they would tell you I'm not the type to get married…they were actually surprised that I got engaged to Raphael…They would also tell you that I had no interest in letting anyone get close enough to know the real me….That the most important thing to me was my job…"

"What if I asked you?"

"A month ago I would have said the same thing…Except what I didn't realize that someone had already got close enough to know the real me and that yes, my job is very important to me but that's because of my partner…" Mary stated. "Because I had to be there to have Marshall's back and because I can't stand going even one day without seeing him."

The doctor smiled and secured the bandaged in place. "You really should write all this down and send it to some film company…It would make one hell of a movie."

"Don't say that to Marshall…He's the kind of guy that would do it."

She laughed and shook her head. "Well, you're wrist is all set but I want to do a scan to make sure baby is okay too."

"You can't…not yet."

"But after a fall like that it's always a good idea to check…"

"No, I have to wait…" Mary insisted. "I have to wait for Marshall…He needs to be there."

She still had no idea what she felt about being pregnant but she was pretty sure that Marshall would be over the moon. She also knew that he would be disappointed if he missed the first scan… She might not care about that sort of thing but she knew he did.

"Okay, if that's what you want but promise to come and find me if you experience any cramping or pain."

"Yeah, fine, whatever…."

"I was told your boss is waiting to see you….If you want to go talk to him, I'll come and find you when once I've got some news on your husband."

"Okay, thanks…" Mary carefully lowered herself off the bed; her muscles already had already stiffened up.

She slowly made her way down the corridor towards the waiting room and was surprised to see, not only Stan but Jinx, Brandi and Raph.

"Mary!" Brandi reached her first, throwing her arms around her.

"Brandi…" Mary pushed her away. "Take it easy."

"Oh, Mary…We were so worried!" Jinx added.

"Are you okay?" Raphael questioned, taking her uninjured hand.

"Just a sprained wrist and a bit sore." She answered, looking past him to Stan. "Have you heard anything about Marshall?"

"Just that he was unconscious and that they are still treating him." Stan replied. "What about you?"

"He came around just after he was brought in…" Mary sat down, feeling sick again. "They had to do a brain scan and other tests…"

"He'll be okay, kiddo." Stan put a comforting hand on her shoulder. "He's strong…He'll come through this."

"He better." Mary whispered.

"What happened?" Jinx questioned. "They said you were hit by a car…"

Mary closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "I didn't even see it come until it was too late…Marshall pushed me out of the way…"

"Of course he did." Stan added he had no idea what the problem was the day before but he was hoping that they had managed to sort things out. "That's what your partner is for…to have your back."

"Once this is all over and Marshall is better, I'll buy him a big drink." Raphael announced. "Thank him for saving my girl…"

"We'll all go." Brandi added.

"Oh, that will be so much fun…" Jinx glanced across at her oldest daughter. "Won't that be fun, Mary?"

"Can you just stop…?" Mary stood up and moved away from the group. "Can you all just back off for a minute?"

"Mary?" Raphael frowned in concern.

"He's going to be fine, Mary." Stan said softly. "It's going to take a lot more than a car to stop Marshall Mann."

Mary shook her head a little but didn't say anything.

"Mary?" Dr. Williams entered the room, causing everyone to turn around.

"How's Marshall?"

"He's just been brought back from the test….He's has a concussion but there is no sign of any bleeding…"

"That's good, right?"

Dr. Williams smiled. "Yes, it's good…"

"What about other injures?" Stan questioned.

"Well, the car impacted on the right side so that where most of the damage is….X-rays show he has a broken collarbone, dislocated shoulder and two breaks in his forearm…"

"Ouch." Brandi commented from the other side of the room.

"He's also got some bruising to his ribs and some nasty cuts…"

"But he's going to be okay?" Mary cut in. "Just tell me he's going to be okay?"

"Well, like I told you earlier, head injuries can cause complications but he's awake and although he's a little groggy, he's talking and seems to making sense…" Dr. Williams told her. "He's also asking to see you…I don't think he believes that we're telling the truth when we said you were relative unharmed."

"Can I see him?"

"They're just stitching him up but I'm sure they won't mind since you'll probably calm him down."

"Mary, is there anything you need before I head back to the office?" Stan asked, knowing she wouldn't be leaving Marshall's side anytime soon.

"Just get the son of a bitch who did this."

"Bobby D is already working on it…The car is registered to our guy and he fits the description of the driver." He told her. "I'm going to check out a few places where he hangs out…."

"Okay, let me know any developments."

"Will do." Stan patted her arm. "You make sure you rest too, okay?"

"Would you like me to come with you?" Raph offered once Stan had left the room.

"What? No…God, no…" Mary shook her head. "You should just go…all of you…I'm fine…I don't need you here."

"Mary, you were in the car accident…" Jinx stated. "You should have your family around you."

"I'm fine…or I will be once I've seen Marshall…" She started towards the door.

"Mary…" Raph followed her but she put a hand on his chest to stop him.

"Just go home…please."

"Okay…" He nodded slowly but she could see the hurt in his eyes. "But call if you need anything."

Mary couldn't deal with Raph and her family now. She didn't think she could take anymore drama. Right now the only thing that mattered was Marshall and making sure he was okay.

She followed Dr. Williams down to the corridor and stood in the doorway to a single room, as the doctor spoke with the doctor that was treating Marshall. Her eyes were glued to white shirt left on a trolley. She knew it was Marshall's and from where she stood, she could see blood and looked like it had been cut off of him.

"Mary…"

She looked up quickly at the sound of Marshall's voice and she saw that now the doctors had stepped aside, she could see him. He had his right arms strapped to his chest and there was already bruising forming all over his upper body. Her eyes moved up to his face where there was a large cut above his right eye, running across to his temple which was already stitched up. He also had smaller cuts, dotted around his face and she guessed it was from the broken windscreen glass.

"Mary." He said again, stretching out his left arm out to her.

She across the room quickly, her right hand linking with his and her left moving to his face.

"Are you okay?" He asked, groggily.

"All I got is a sprained wrist." She told him. "It was you who jumped in front of a speeding car…"

"I didn't jump…" He mumbled. "I ran."

A small smile formed on her lips as she stroked his cheek, gently. "Yeah…you did."

He closed his eyes and sigh, squeezing her hand gently.

Mary looked over at the doctors. "So, he's going to be okay?"

"We're going to mentor him to make sure there are no complications and he won't be able to use that arm for at least six weeks and will probably need some kind of physical therapy but yes, I believe he'll be fine."

"When can he leave?"

"We'll know more tomorrow."

"Took my ring…."

Mary looked back down to Marshall. "What?"

"They took my wedding ring..." He told her, blink a few times. "I don't like not wearing it."

Mary couldn't help but smile at that and leaned down to kiss his forehead.

"Here are all his belongings…." His doctor handed her a clear plastic bag.

Amongst his wallet, badge, keys and some paper she saw the silver chain. She dug into the bag and pulled it out. She knew that if she tried to put it back around his neck, she would hurt him so she considered slipping it onto his finger but when she picked up his left hand, she saw it was covered in cuts and scrapes.

She gently placed his hand back down and undid the clasp on the chain before hanging it around her own neck. She pulled her own necklaces out of her shirt so his ring hung next to hers and the St. Christopher pendent.

"Okay?" She asked when she saw him watching her.

He nodded slightly and retook her hand in his. "Are you staying?"

"Yeah…" She replied. "I'm not going anywhere."

"We'll let you get some rest." Marshall's doctor said, walking towards the door.

"Mary, let me know if you need anything." Dr. Williams told her on her way out.

"Thanks." Mary gave her a small smile.

"Lie down with me." Marshall said softly once they were alone.

"Don't even think about it…" She shook her head. "You're hurt."

"Mare, please…" He pulled on her hand on her hand until sat on the edge of the bed.

"I was so scared…" She whispered. "You wouldn't wake up and no one would tell me what was happening with you."

"I'm sorry."

She laughed quietly. "Don't apologize…I should be thanking you."

"I just saw that car heading straight for you…"

When he trailed off, she moved to lie down, carefully resting her head on injured shoulder and put her arm across his stomach.

"Nothing else matters, Mare…All that stuff with Raph…." He continued, pulling her as close to him as he could; ignoring the pain. "No one else matters…just you… As long as I got you then I can do anything….You're all I need…"

"As soon as they let you out of here, we're going to straight all of this out…I don't care if we have to take an ad out in the newspaper…I really don't care what people say or what happens….and I'm sorry it taken this long to realize that."

"We'll talk to Stan once this is all sorted and ask him for some vacation time…"

"Vacation time was what started all of this…"

"We can have a honeymoon…." He continued.

"Yeah, that sounds nice."

"And then we can plan the rest of our lives…just the two of us."

_The three of us…_

"Marshall….?"

"Hmm?"

"What you asked me this morning…." She said slowly. "I am."

"What did I ask you this morning?" He questioned.

"When I said I left sick…you asked me if I was pregnant….I am."

When he didn't say anything, she sat up a little so she could look at his face.

"Marshall?"

"I…uh…" His mouth opened closed a few times. "Is this the concussion talking?"

She couldn't help but smirk. "You're the one with the concussion, nitwit."

"Oh right…." He paused for a second. "Is this the concussion hearing things?"

"No…My doctor did a test when I was admitted." She told him. "She also said she thinks you'll make a good Dad because of your act of heroism."

"I'm going to be a Dad?"

Any other day, she would have laughed at the stunned look on his face. "I know your brain probably feels like mush right now and you might not even remember this conversation in the morning but I need you to know because Dr. Williams wants to do a scan…"

"A scan?"

"Yeah, she said it's just precaution…make sure everything is okay after the fall but I asked to wait for you…"

"You waited?" He repeated and moaned in pain when he sat up.

"Marshall?" Mary sat up to. "Are you okay?"

"Get the doctor back…"

"Why? Are you in pain?"

"You need to have the scan….You have to make sure you're both okay."

"We're fine." She tried to assure him. "Just calm down…"

"Mary…"

"No, listen to me… If the doctor thought there were any problems then she would have insisted I have the scan there and then…" She gently pushed on his good shoulder to get him to lie back down. "Just rest for a little bit and then we'll deal with all this."

"Are you sure you're okay?"

"Yes, I'm more concerned about you." She said softly.

He carefully led back down again. "You'll tell me if anything chances."

"Of course."

"Are you okay with this?" He asked her after a few seconds.

"Well, I guess I've got a few months to get okay with it…." She shrugged.

"Mare, this is a child….It not like getting a cat…"

"That reminds me…I should call Mrs. Jones and see if she'll check on Amber…"

"Mary." He stopped her from standing up.

She sighed loudly. "I don't know how I feel about this…To be honest, I'm still getting used to being married and I know I almost screwed everything up for us but I love what we have…"

"We should talk about this…"

"We will." She replied. "But not tonight."

"But…"

"You have a concussion… You probably feel like you've got the worlds worst hangover….Don't worry about anything else at the moment…This isn't going anywhere…It'll still be there tomorrow."

"Okay." He nodded. "Just promise me something…"

"Anything…"

"You'll be honest with me about this…That you will tell me how you truly feel even if it's not what you think I want to hear."

She led back down beside him. "I promise."

_**xXxXx**_

"Can you stop looking at me like that?" Marshall asked as they walked out of the hospital the next day; his arm was strapped to his chest and bandaged heavily.

"You got hit by a speeding car yesterday and you are incapable of using you right arm plus you have a concussion but you still check yourself out today."

"My doctor said my arm doesn't need any surgery and said all I need to do is rest…I can rest at home." He told her. "I just want to go home…"

"I know." She said softly. "Me to."

"So, let's get out of here."

He had checked himself out that morning; he had always hated hospitals. Plus, he knew the longer he was there, people would start turning up to visit and he really did not want to see anyone.

Before they left, Dr. Williams had done a scan and although there was not much to see, she assured them both everything looked fine. There had been no doubt in Mary's mind that the baby was Marshall's because she had always been carefully with Raphael but she couldn't help but be relieved when the doctor confirmed she was roughly four weeks along. She was happy that before Vegas, she had been so busy with work and Raph had been too, so the last time they were together was almost two months ago.

"Did you pick up that information leaflet that the doctor gave us?" Marshall asked her as they reached the SUV that Stan had brought over for them.

"Yeah, along with the phone number for that OBGYB…" She replied as she climbed into the driver's seat just as her cell phone rang.

"It's Brandi." She told him before answering. "What's up, Brandi?"

"Where are you?" Her sister asked.

"I'm just leaving the hospital."

"So, you'll be home soon?"

"I'm going to stay with Marshall." She replied. "He can't be alone right now."

"Bring him here."

"Yeah right," Mary laughed lightly. "He needs peace and rest and that's the last thing he'll get there."

"Well, can't you just stop by on your way?"

"Why?"

"Because I need to talk to you about something."

Mary sighed. "About what? What's happened now?"

"Nothing." Brandi insisted. "Just come over…and make sure Marshall comes too."

"What's going on?" Marshall asked.

"Brandi is up to something." She covered the mouth piece and looked over at him. "She wants us to go over there."

"Why?"

"No idea but I could actually do with picking up some more clean clothes." She claimed. "Also, I can talk to Raph."

"You want to tell him today?"

"Well, yeah….Unless you think it's a bad idea."

"Not a bad idea….just…there's been a lot happening lately."

"Mary? Mare…Are you there? Mary!"

She put the phone back to her ear. "We'll be right over but we're not staying long."

"Great!"

She hung up and leaned her head against the steering wheel. "She as too cheerful."

"What?"

"Brandi…She's up to something."

"Well, the sooner we get there, the soon we can leave and go home."

When they reached Mary's house, she saw that Marshall didn't make a move to get out of the car.

"Hey, you okay?"

"Yeah, just…lots of shouting and fighting and a concussion don't go together."

"You can wait here if you want."

"No, I should come in." He sighed and rubbed his eyes then winced in pain. "Let's get this over with."

"I'll get us out of there as soon as possible." She promised. "Then I'll take you home and look after you."

"I should be looking after you…."

She raised an eyebrow. "You seriously think that just because I'm pregnant, I need looking after?"

He shrugged. "Technically, I want to look after you because you're my wife and I love you but I guess the fact that you're carrying my child makes me a little more…"

"Caveman?"

"Protective." He corrected.

"It's going to be along 9 months."

"8 months."

"Wow…8 months."

"Yeah and we still need to talk about this…"

"I know." She nodded.

"Come on, let's go…"

Once they got inside, they found Brandi waiting for them.

"Okay, Squish…what is it?"

"Come outside."

"No, Brandi…just tell me."

"Mary, please." She grabbed them both by the hand and pulled towards the backyard.

"Brandi, stop!" Mary told her, throwing Marshall a concern look as he struggled to stay on his feet.

"Oh my god…I'm so sorry." Brandi's eyes widen. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine…" He assured her. "Just not so fast."

Brandi let go of his hand but carried on pulling Mary with her, leaving Marshall to follow.

"What is all this about?" Mary questioned. "And where is everyone else…"

"SURPRISE!"

Mary stopped suddenly once she stepped outside, causing Marshall to almost run into her. Her mouth fell open when she saw her backyard filled with people...most of which, she didn't recognizing.

"It's a surprise 'engagement slash thank you' party!" Brandi grinned.

"We were planning just an engagement party but after the accident yesterday, we thought we could thank Marshall for what he did." Raph added, leaning forward to kiss Mary's cheek. "Are you surprised?"

Mary looked back to Marshall, who looked just as stunned as she felt before turning back to the crowd of people. She saw Stan stood with Eleanor and Bobby, and then there was Jinx and Peter as well Raphael's mother but they were the only people she knew.

"Who are all these people?"

"Well, some are my friends from work and the others are my family…I thought it would be a good chance for you to meet them."

"Oh god…"

"Mom, Dad?"

Mary turned quickly to look at Marshall as he stepped further out of the house and then looked back to see an older couple moving towards them.

"Oh, honey…we were so worried about you." The woman claimed, hugging him carefully.

"What are you doing here?"

"Your boss called us about the accident but by the time we got here, we were told you were okay and planning on checking yourself out." Jenna explained. "Then we heard about this little party and thought we would surprise you."

"You shouldn't have come all this way…" Marshall claimed.

"Oh please…you're our son." Jenna rolled her eyes. "Besides, all we did was move our trip out here up a few weeks…"

"Mary, come and meet my sisters." Raphael reached for her hand.

"I think they would prefer to meet Marshall…" Brandi sniggered.

"What?" Mary looked at her.

"He's a hero…All the girls here are after him…"

"Oh really?" Peter looked at her.

"All the single girls." She corrected, smiling at him sweetly.

"I can't do this…" Mary shook her head, stepping back when Raph reached for her.

"Do what?" He frowned.

"We need to talk." She told him. "We need to talk right now."

"Can't it wait until later…?"

"No." She shook her head before walking back into the house.

Raph looked back at his friends and family and was relieved to see no one was paying attention to them anymore.

"Marshall, what's going on?" Brandi questioned once Raph had followed Mary.

"Uh, will you excuse me…?" Marhsall replied and disappeared too. He found Mary leaning both hands on the counter and when Raph moved behind her to place on her shoulder, she jumped away from him.

"Mary, what is it?" He asked.

"I can't marry you, Raph."

"What?"

"I'm sorry…I should have told you sooner."

"You're not serious." He shook his head. "It's just nerves…"

"No, Raph…I'm sorry but we're not right for each other…"

"Please, let's just talk this through…"

"There's nothing to talk through…We're over."

"No…"

"There's someone else." She told him. She knew Marshall was stood by the door, staying out the way but there in case she needed him.

"I don't understand." He replied. "We're engaged…"

"Raphael, listen to me…I love someone else."

"No, we're getting married…"

"I can't marry you!"

"Why not?"

"Because I'm already married!"

"What?"

Mary turned around and saw Brandi and Jinx were now stood beside Mary.

"Can you guys please give us a minute?" Raphael asked but didn't take his eyes off Mary.

"But…" Jinx started.

"Please, just leave!"

They both hesitated but eventually went back out into the yard.

"Marshall, can you please go to."

"Mary?" Marshall looked at her. He didn't want to leave but she wanted him to, then he would.

"This is between Mary and me…" Raph finally took his eyes off her to look at him but then trailed off. "Oh."

"Raph…." Mary started.

"It's him isn't it?"

"I never meant to hurt you but I should have never agreed to marry you." She told him and Marshall moved to stand by her side. "I'm sorry."

"How long as this been going on?" He asked. "Have you been laughing behind my back the whole time?"

"No, it wasn't like that…" Mary claimed. "We've been together for four weeks….Since you've been away."

"Oh, that's okay then…"

"Raph…"

He shook his head before stormed across the kitchen and out the back door.

"You okay?" Marshall asked, softly.

"I just broke his heart."

"I know." He put his uninjured hand on her shoulder and squeezed it gently.

"Well, I guess at least it's done…at least he knows." She stepped closer to him.

"You want to just get out of here?"

"More than anything…" She nodded. "I'm going to grab some clothes."

"Okay." He kissed the top of her head. "I'm going to talk to my parents."

"Oh god…your parents are here." She moaned, leaning her forehead on his shoulder.

"It'll be fine." He told her.

"I hope so."

"I'll be outside." He told her as she headed for her bedroom.

Once he stepped outside, he saw his parents with Stan, Eleanor and Bobby…Jinx and Brandi were talking with Peter and Raph was surrounded by his family, clearly upset.

"Marshall, what's going on?" Stan asked when he saw him.

"I think the party is over…"

"Has something happened?" Eleanor questioned.

"Y'all can't even have a simple engagement party without it kicking off…" Bobby added, shaking his head slightly.

"Maybe you should all just go…" Marshall suggested.

"Are you okay, honey?" Jenna asked. "You look a little pale."

"My head is banging but its fine." He sighed. "Have you guys got a hotel?"

"Yeah but we can stay with you if you need someone to take care of you…" She offered.

"No, Mom…it's…" He trailed off when he noticed Raph storming towards him but before could say anything, the other man's fist contacted hard with his face. If it wasn't for Bobby and Stan, reaching out and grabbing hold of him, he would have fallen to the floor. His vision blurred and there was a loud rushing noise in his ears.

"Marshall?" Stan said in concern.

He blinked a few times and when his vision came back into focus, he saw his Father had hold of Raphael.

"Dad, its okay…" Marshall stepped out of Stan's and Bobby's grip. "Let him go."

"He just assaulted an US Marshal…." Seth claimed. "He's not going anywhere!"

"Dad, please…"

"What's wrong, Marshall?" Raph shrugged out of Seth's grip. "Guilty conscience?"

"Raphael, I know you must be upset…" Marshall started. "You have every right to be angry at Mary….at us…"

"Angry?" Raph repeated and was blocked by Stan and Seth when he moved towards Marshall again.

"You need to back off!" Seth told him firmly.

"Dad, can you just leave it." Marshall tried to push past his father and Stan.

"Why? So this animal can hit you again?"

"He deserves it!"

"Oh yeah? What exactly has he done?" Stan asked, placing a hand on Marshall's good arm to stop him from getting any closer.

"You mean you don't know?" Raph looked at him. "Oh, so I'm not the only one in the dark then…"

"Raphael, what are you talking about?" Jinx joined. "What's going on?"

"They've been screwing around!"

"What?"

"Marshall?" Stan turned fully to look at him.

"It's not that simple…" Marshall sighed; this was not how he wanted everyone to find out.

"No, Chico…you're wrong." Brandi claimed. "They're just partners…best friends…"

"Tell them." Raph glared at Marshall. "Tell them how you been sleeping with my fiancée!"

"Raph, why don't we go back inside and we'll talk…" Marshall suggested.

"You think I want to talk to you? Listen to you telling me how sorry you are…how you regret it…"

"I don't"

"What?"

"I am sorry you got hurt but I don't regret it…"

"Oh right, I forgot…you love each other." He rolled his eyes. "You know what, I don't want your pity…I actually pity you…You think you have a future with her?"

"Look, this is getting crazy…Where is Mary?" Jinx asked.

"She's getting some clothes…"

"Going to hide out at your house, is she?" Raph spat.

"No, she's moved in….It's our house." Marshall corrected. He knew Raphael was rightfully angry and upset but he was in way too much pain to be sympathetic now.

"What?" Brandi asked. "That's where she's been? Not working."

Marshall glanced across at her but before he could say anything Raph started talking again.

"It's sad when you think about it… You two are so involved in each other's lives that you won't know what to do when she get fed up of you." Raphael told him. "You might think you're different…that what the two of you have is different but it's not… She's just using you to get out of getting married."

Marshall forced himself not announce how wrong Raphael was because everyone was now crowed around them, listening and he couldn't let his parents hear the news of his marriage from an argument.

"I hope you enjoy it while it lasts and that's worth risking everything for…" Raph finished before storming off again.

Marshall stayed where he was, staring ahead, and avoiding making eye contact with anyone. He could hear people whispering around him, wondering what had actually happened and he saw Raphael's friends and family all slowly start to leave.

"Marshall, you want to explain to me what the hell is going on?" Stan asked, standing in front of him.

"It's a long story…" He sighed.

"Is what he said true?" Eleanor asked. "Are you and Mary…?"

"No! It's can't be true!" Brandi insisted. "Mary wouldn't do that…not to Chico?"

"I'm sorry, Squish…" Mary appeared in the doorway. "I guess I'm not so perfect after all…"

"You cheated on Raph?" Brandi turned to look at her. "After everything that he's done for you?"

"Brandi, Raph and I were never going to work out." Mary sighed, walking over to join Marshall. "I made a mistake agreeing to marry him and my biggest regret is not ending things with him sooner but that doesn't change the way I feel."

"I cannot believe you would do this." Jinx added, shaking her head.

"What about what you said about being married already?" Brandi asked. "Is it Mark? I thought you said you had it annulled…"

Mary looked at Marshall, wondering how she should reply.

"Mary and I…." Marshall started, glancing across at his parents. "We got married four weeks ago."

"What?"

"I don't believe this…This just gets better and better!"

"Man, you guys sure know how to complicate things…." Bobby mumbled from behind them.

"Marshall, honey…you're not serious?" Jenna questioned.

"I'm sorry, Mom…I didn't want to tell you over the phone."

"Just how long as this been going on?" Stan exclaimed, gesturing between the two of them.

"Just the four weeks."

"I don't understand…" Eleanor shook her head. "You've been married for four weeks…what about before that?"

Marshall sighed. "To cut a long story short…When we were in Vegas, we had a few drinks and ended up eloping… nothing happened until the next then we talked and admitted our feelings for each other…

"Oh, how sweet…" Brandi said sarcastically.

"Look, this is our choice…our lives…You can be happy for us or not but nothing is going to come between us." Mary looked to her mother and sister.

"Stan, about work…." Marshall turned to their boss.

"Not here." Stan shook his head. "Not now."

"But…"

"We'll discuss it at the office tomorrow." He said firmly and started walking to the door. "I can't deal with this right now."

"My thoughts exactly." Jinx added and she followed him, with Brandi not far behind her.

"Mom, Dad…I know this is a lot to take in…I know you must be upset and I'm sorry but maybe Stan has the right idea…maybe we should talk about this tomorrow once everyone has cooled off…"

"I don't want to wait." Jenna claimed. "I want to talk about it now…"

"We'll be at the hotel." Seth took his wife hand. "We come by the house tomorrow evening."

Marshall nodded but didn't say anything. He had seen his Father look like that before and knew it meant he was trying to control his anger.

"I knew there was something going on." Eleanor stated. "I would have never have guessed this but…"

"You guys are seriously married?" Bobby asked. "No fooling?"

"No, we're living together and everything," Mary told him.

"Wow, look at you two all grown up." He said lightly. "You should have told me…I would have brought you a gift."

"Thanks, Bobby." Marshall gave him a small smile.

"Well, I need to get out of here but Marshall, we're definitely meeting up for the drink soon…I want to know the details." He told them then turned to Eleanor. "Can I give you a ride home?"

"That would be very nice of you…thank you, detective."

"Suck up." Mary muttered causing Marshall to nudge her.

"I guess I'll see you both tomorrow." Eleanor said to them.

"Just say it." Mary told her.

"What?"

"Whatever it is you want to say." She rolled her eyes. "Just get it over with."

"Okay, fine." Eleanor paused for a second. "Congratulations."

"What?"

"Marriage is a wonderful thing…enjoy it…enjoy each other…you never know when you might lose everything." She told them. "I hope you'll both be very happy together."

Mary stood stunned and watched as the other woman, left with Bobby.

"Mare?"

"Yeah?"

"You okay?"

She looked at him and thought about his question for a few second. "You know what…after everything that has happened…our argument, the accident, the baby...everyone finding out…I actually am okay."

"Really?"

"Yes, really…Sure, I wished things would have gone better but I'm just glad everything is out in the open." She admitted. "We can get on with our life now."

He smiled and leaned in to kiss her softly. "Let's go home."

"I thought you'd never ask." She grinned and took his free hand, leading him down the side of the house and towards the SUV.

**TBC**

**Okay, so everyone knows! Please review and let me know what you think! **


	12. Chapter 12

**Hey, thanks to everyone who reviewed! Almost at 100! Woo! Please keep them coming! **

**Enjoy! **

**What Happens In Vegas**

"Do you want some painkillers?" Mary asked reaching for the bag of pills the hospital had given him.

"I took some when I got home." Marshall replied, watching her from his position led on the bed. They had been home twenty minutes now and all she had done was kept herself busy with clearing up, feeding the cat and trying to do things for him.

"Oh yeah…" She let go of the bag and looked at him. "Something to eat? You must be starving…"

"Mary, just wait a minute." He said as she was half across the bedroom towards the door.

"What?" She turned to face him again. "Do you need something?"

"I need you to sit down." He told her.

"Marshall…"

"You're acting like a cross between Florence Nightingale, Jessie Owens and Mrs. Doubtfire..." He said and then laughed lightly when she narrowed her eyes and glared at him. "Come and sit with me for a minute."

She sighed and dropped onto the bed beside him.

"What's going on?" He asked her softly.

"Nothing…I'm just trying to look after you."

"Mary…This is me you're talking to." He reminded her. "What's wrong?"

"I just…" She started and then stopped but continued when he squeezed her hand reassuringly. "What if this isn't enough?"

"If what isn't?"

"This marriage…this baby…" She replied before noticing the look of panic on his face. "For you….What if this isn't enough for you."

"It is, Mare…I thought we were done with all this." He frowned. "I thought you trusted me when I said this is what I want…"

"You may have to give up so much, Marshall...Your career and your family…"

"We're in this together, remember?" He told her.

"Yeah, but I'm used to disappointing people and my family not understanding me…You have spent your whole career making sure you're the best and I know that your family means the world to you."

"They do and I'm hoping that I mean the same to them so they'll accept this…And as for my career, I haven't done anything wrong…We haven't….There might be rules about us being partners and in relationship…"

"I just…I don't want you to have any regrets."

"Never." He shook his head. "Mare, if I couldn't be a Marshal or if my family never wanted anything to do with me, I would be upset…of course I would but I would get over it…But if anything happened to you…If you weren't in my life, then I wouldn't want to live…I couldn't….I thought you knew that…I thought you understood that."

"I do…I do." She assured him, feeling stupid for doubting. She carefully placed a hand on his cheek as she leaned in to kiss him softly.

"No one is going to stop me from being in love with you…not the US Marshal Service or Stan…Your family, my family or Raphael…Not even you."

She gave him a small smile, her hand still on his face and her fingers gently running over a new bruise. "You're going to have a black eye by tomorrow."

"It'll match my other battle wounds."

"I can't believe Raph hit you when he knew how injured you already are."

"He was angry…and rightly so….I stole his girl away."

She rolled her eyes. "I wasn't his girl."

He smiled and wrapped his good arm around her waist to pull her closer. "No, you weren't…"

"And anyway, it wasn't your fault….You weren't the one in the wrong."

"None of that matters now...let's forget about it for tonight." He told her. "Tomorrow we're going to have to face Stan and my parents…you should try and talk to Jinx and Brandi as well but right now, let's just enjoy the peace."

"Okay." She agreed. "Do you want to watch a movie?"

"Sure, if you want to."

"Or we could get some food…or sleep…How's your head?"

"You're doing it again."

"Doing what?"

"Talking a mile a minute…" He replied. "We could keep talking…"

"I think I'm pretty much talked out." She rubbed her eyes. "But I guess we should talk about the baby."

"Maybe we should save that conversation for a day when we're both not half dead."

"You don't want to talk about it now?" She asked in surprised.

"I just don't want things to get decided when we're not at our best."

"That makes sense." She nodded. "But I need you to know that I'm not having doubts because of you…I've never even wanted kids until I started thinking about having them with you…."

"It's okay…I get it." He told her. "We will talk about it but not now."

"Okay." She stood up. "Lie down, I'm going to get us some snacks and we'll put a movie on..."

"Sounds good."

Ten minute later, they were both in bed, Marshall on his back with his left around her, while she led with her head on his good shoulder and her arm carefully placed across his torso. Her eyes moved from the TV screen to the window to watch the rain for a second, she then looked up to Marshall and saw he was asleep and actually looked peaceful.

She couldn't help but think of lazy Sunday morning with breakfast in bed, pillow fights and cartoons on the TV…Of children with blonde hair and blue eyes.

She had never wanted any of that…In fact, it used to be her idea of a nightmare but now it just seemed perfect.

The only problem was she knew it could never be that simple.

_**XxXxX**_

Eleanor wasn't surprised to see both Mary and Marshall entering the office at 9am that next morning.

Mary had been placed on desk duty until her wrist had healed but Marshall was sign off completely for at least two weeks and even then his doctor would have to clear him for desk duty.

"Good morning, Inspectors." She greeted them both with a cup of coffee. "How are you feeling this morning?"

Mary looked at her and then down to the coffee suspiciously. "A little nervous now…What's with the nice routine?"

"It's not a routine." She rolled her eyes. "I'm always nice."

"Yeah right…"

They all turned when they heard the door buzz open and saw Stan. "Good morning, Chief…"

"Eleanor." He nodded to her and then looked at Mary and Marshall. "Inspector Mann, I believe you're on sick leave."

"I thought we could straighten a few things out." Marshall replied.

"I have a busy morning…Come back at 3pm."

"I can clear some time on your schedule." Eleanor offered.

"There is no need." Stan told her. "Until then, Inspector Shannon I suggest you get to work and Inspector Mann, you should go home."

"Stan?" Mary started at him. "What the hell?"

"Is there a problem?"

"Yes, there's a problem!" She exclaimed. "We came to talk to you about this and you're just going to ignore us?"

"I'm not ignoring you…I have given you an appointment time so we can meet and discuss this." Stan replied. "That is the correct procedure…."

"Screw procedure…Listen…"

"No, you listen…Over the last five years I have let the two of you get away with a lot of things but you've pushed it too far this time." Stan snapped. "So, Inspector Mann, unless you have a note from you doctor I want you out of this office and Inspector Shannon I need an incident report as well as a risk assessment done for everything that happened Saturday."

"Stan…"

"Leave it, Mare…" Marshall told her.

"Fine!" She glared at Stan and then glanced at Marshall. "Let's go."

"Where do you think you're going? You have work to do."

"I'm giving him a ride home… In case you haven't noticed he can't drive himself!"

"He's a grown man, Mary…he's more than capable to call a cab…" Stan replied, as he walked into his office.

"It's okay." Marshall said cutting off anything Mary was going to say. "I'll be fine."

"But Marshall…"

"Mare, just get some work done and then come home for lunch." He told her. "We'll come back together."

She sighed. "Are you sure you'll be okay?"

He kissed her forehead. "Yes…I'll see you later."

"Okay but call if you need anything."

"Yes, Ma'am."

Mary watched the doors of the elevator close behind him before sitting down at her desk. Then she noticed Eleanor staring at her.

"What?"

"Nothing…" The older woman shrugged. "Just you two are cute."

"Cute?" Mary repeated with a scowl. "Shut up!"

_**XxXxX**_

Mary made it back home just after 1:30 and Marshall greeted her with a smirk. "Hey honey, how was your day?"

"Don't be a nerd." She told him warningly. "What's that smell?"

"Lunch."

"You cooked?" She looked at him. "Are you crazy? You could have set the house on fire…"

He rolled his eyes. "I brought some soup from that deli you like….All I had to do was heat it up."

"Oh…"

"But seriously, was everything okay after I left?"

"Yeah it was fine…Weird though." She said as she followed him into the kitchen.

"How?"

"Stan wasn't talking to anyone and Eleanor was being nice to me…" She answered.

"She likes you now because of your amazing husband." He grinned at her.

"Or she's just trying to find out all the dirty details…"

"Yeah, probably." He laughed.

"So, how was your day?"

"I called my parents…Asked them to come by…" He told her. "I hope you don't mind…I just figured it was best to get it out the way."

"No, it's fine." She replied. "How did it go?"

"Mom's upset she wasn't there and Dad wants to know what it means for my career." He said. "Might take a while but I think they'll be happy for us in the end."

"Good, I'm glad." She smiled. "Now we just have to worry about Stan."

"Yeah, he seemed pretty upset."

"I can't believe he kicked you out of the office."

"I know, out of the two of us…I'm sure he's kick you out first."

"Ha-ha very funny." She said sarcastically. "What is up with you today?"

"It's probably the medication…" He replied. "Or I'm just high on the drug of love."

"It better be the medication." She waved her spoon in his direction. "Because I'm not putting up with this for the rest of our lives."

_**XxXxX**_

When they returned the office, Stan's door was closed and Eleanor told them he was on the phone, so while they waited Marshall showed her the one wedding photo they had on his cell phone and told her about the night.

Mary was sitting at her desk, finishing off some paperwork but was adding her own comments to the story he was telling.

After ten minutes, Stan waved them into the office and Eleanor excused herself, telling them there was something she needed to take care of.

Marshall followed Mary into Stan's office and took a seat beside her. They glanced at each other when Stan kept his head down, reading a file.

"One of you start talking…" Their boss said after a few minutes of silence.

"What do you want us to say?" Mary asked. "We got married…we're living together…"

He sighed. "This has all been going on for a month?"

"Yeah, like we said yesterday…We got drunk in Vegas and eloped…we were going to get it annulled but after talking we decided to give a relationship ago." Marshall explained.

"And to hell with your jobs?"

"This doesn't change anything." Mary insisted. "We can still work together…"

"Oh yeah? What happens when you're protecting a witness and someone takes a shot at Marshall?" Stan questioned. "Who do you protect first? The witness or your husband?"

"I protect the person who's most at risk…"

"The correct answer is the witness." Stan replied.

"Like hell it is…You're honestly telling me that I'm not meant to have my partner's back?" Mary got to her feet.

"Come on, Stan…You know neither of us would anyone in danger, especially not a witness." Marshall added.

"And if you think my answer would have been different a month ago, then you're crazy…" Mary stated. "If you think I loved him any less back then…"

"Okay, fine how about the other stuff?" Stan asked and looked over to Marshall. "The other day, you stood in this office and told me you weren't sure if you could work with her anymore…"

"That was….Complicated." Marshall told him, glancing at Mary. "I brought something into work that I should have dealt with at home…"

"And what about Kelly Winters? We had to talk her out of making a formal complaint against you…" He turned to Mary. "I had been watching that meeting and I'm willing to bet, you didn't like her because she had a thing for Marshall…"

"Stan…"

"So yes, Mary it chances everything." Stan claimed.

Mary slowly sat back down, knowing that Stan was right. Although, she couldn't help but think if she had done what Marshall wanted and told everyone the truth right away, they could have proved they were capable of working together.

"What happens now?" Marshall asked.

"I don't know….It out of my hands now…I've spoken with my bosses and they are getting back to me tomorrow." He told them. "There's a big possibility that one of you will be transferred."

"If one of us has to leave then we both will." Marshall claimed.

"I doubt they'll transfer you both to the same office somewhere else…"

"Then I'll quit."

Stan sighed and picked up his pen. "We'll know more tomorrow…you both can go now…Mary, you might as well clock off for the day."

"Okay." She replied quietly.

"We'll see you tomorrow then." Marshall stood up, reaching to take Mary's hand.

"Come in about 11…I should know something by then." He said and then continued before they reached the door. "I hope you're serious about this and that It is worth it."

"We are and it is." Marshall replied, without hesitation.

Stan watched as they left the office hand in hand and once they had closed the door, he dropped his pen and sighed loudly.

"I've got you two a gift." Eleanor told them, holding it out to them.

"What is it?" Mary questioned as Marshall took it. "Is it ticking?"

"You didn't need to do this…" Marshall said, both of them ignoring Mary's comment.

"I wanted to." She smiled. "Your first wedding present."

"Only wedding present." Mary mumbled.

"You open it." Marshall handed it to her.

"Aw, really? I was looking forward to watching you fight one handed with it."

"Just open it."

She slipped off the gift wrap and saw the back of a photo frame, when she turned it over she was surprised to see two photos of her and Marshall. The first one looked like it had been taken at last year's office Christmas party but Mary had never seen it before. The second one was the wedding picture off Marshall's cell phone.

"How did you get this?" Marshall asked in surprised.

"I've had the first one since Christmas… I kept forgetting to bring you a copy in." She replied, pointing at the picture of them both laughing at something, unaware of the camera. "And I second one, I sent to myself from your phone when you were showing me early…I went out and printed a copy and brought a frame."

"This is great…" Marshall told her and took the photo frame to get a better look. "I can't believe you did this."

Mary left the two of them talking and slipped back into Stan's office. He looked up at her in surprise.

"I thought you had gone home…"

"We're just about to leave." She told him. "I just…You need to know that Marshall wanted to tell you…"

"Mary…"

"It was my idea to keep quiet…I thought if we could prove nothing would change then you might let us stay partners…but Marshall did want to tell you." She said again. "He wanted to tell you straight away, said that it would help if you were on our side but you went Houston for that thing…and well thing then got a little crazy."

"You can say that again…"

"I'm sorry….We should have talked to you about it." She admitted.

"Yeah, you should have…"

"And I also want you to know that it already is worth it…being with Marshall…" She continued. "I don't know what the future is going to be like for us but I know I love him…I know he makes me happy…and no matter what….no job or family, no nothing is going to change that."

Stan was quiet for a few seconds, thinking about what she said before nodding a little. "I'll see you tomorrow, Mary…Have a good night."

"You too." She replied before joining Marshall and Eleanor.

"Mare?" Marshall looked at her curiously when he saw her coming out of Stan's office. "Everything okay?"

"Everything is fine…You ready to go home?"

"Yeah, let's go." He nodded.

"Thanks for the photo frame." Mary said to Eleanor. "It's greats."

"You're welcome." She replied with a smile and watched them leave before going back to her desk. "They really are cute together."

**TBC**

**Please review! **


	13. Chapter 13

**So sorry I've been a while since I last updated…I went away from the weekend and when I got back, I discovered the hard drive in my laptop needs replacing so lost some writing but I've stole my Mom's laptop and wrote all day to rewrite this chapter. I hope you like it and it was worth the wait. **

**Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed! Please keep them coming! **

**Enjoy! **

**What Happens in Vegas**

When Mary entered the bedroom, she saw Marshall was placing the framed photographs from Eleanor on the dresser. She moved to his side, to get a better look.

"It looks good there." She commented.

"Yeah," he agreed with a smile, putting his arm around her and pulled her closer to him.

"So, what are the plans for tonight?" She looked up at him.

"I figured we could go dancing or sky diving…"

"Alright, smart ass…" She rolled her eyes. "I was thinking we could invite your parents over to dinner?"

"I think I'd rather go sky diving." He mumbled.

"Marshall…"

"You really want my parents to come over?"

She sighed. "I don't know but they are only here for a few more days and I would think it'll be easier to get to know them before they go back."

He sighed. "I guess…"

"You don't think it's a good idea?"

"No, I do and I appreciate it but I don't think I can stand to hear anymore negativity about our marriage….Not tonight." He told her.

"But they're your parents…" She replied. "We dropped a pretty big bomb on them with all this and we should sort it out with them before they leave."

"That's a pretty rational and sensible idea…Who are you and what have you done with my Mary?" He smirked.

"Just so you know, I'm keeping a list of all these little comments you're making and I will be getting my own back when you're fully fit." She warned.

"Ah, there she is…" He grinned and kissed the top of her head when she rolled her eyes. "I'll give my parents a called…See if they want to come over."

He knew she was right and that he needed to talk to them before they went back home because it wasn't very often he got chance to visit them and he was concerned if he didn't talk to them now, then they would never understand or fully accept their marriage.

"Okay, I'm going to jump in the shower." She told him but then paused halfway across the room to look at him. "Do you need me do anything before I do?"

"No, I'm good." He assured her. He knew she was making an extra effort to take care of him but he just wished she realized how good she already was at it.

He pulled his cell phone out and dialed the number for the hotel room where his parents were staying. He resisted the urge to groan when his Dad answered the phone instead of his Mom.

"Hey Dad…Mary and I was wondering whether you guys would like to come over for dinner…" He waited, listening to his father discuss it with his mother before he came back on the line and accepted. "Okay, great…It'll just be takeaway…with everything that has happened, we haven't had chance to get to the store and haven't got much food in the house…Okay, well we'll see you in a couple of hours."

He hung up the phone and sat down on the end of the bed. He knew there was a chance that his relationship with his family might never be the same again; his relationship with his Dad was already strained but he still had no doubt in his mind that he had done the right thing by staying married to Mary.

The sound of a cell phone ringing startled him and he looked around until he found Mary's cell phone on the bed.

"Mare, you're phone is ringing." He shouted to her but got no reply. He glanced down at the caller ID and saw Jinx's name. Sighing, he walked down to the hall towards the bathroom. He knocked once before pushing up the door. "Mary? Your Mom is calling you."

"I'm a little busy at the moment." She said over the sound of the shower running.

"Maybe you should talk to her…" Marshall suggested just as the phone stopped.

"Oh what a shame, too late…"

"Mary…"

"What?"

"Just if we're inviting my parents over to explain everything then maybe we should invite Jinx and Brandi…"

"Are you insane?"

"Come on, it won't be that bad.

"You've met my family, right?"

Before Marshall could answer, the cell phone started ringing again.

"It's Jinx, again." He told her.

She sighed and stuck her head out of the shower. "Look, you're the one with the concussion so if you really want to have the dinner from hell to make your headache worse then be my guest."

"I'll be fine…The hospital gave me the good drugs." He grinned as he accepted the call.

"Well, you better share." She muttered, returning to the shower.

"Mary's phone."

"Marshall?" Jinx questioned. "Where's Mary?"

"She's a little busy at the moment…" He told her. "Is there anything I can help with?"

"Hiding away, is she?"

"Um…no…" He frowned at the harshness of her tone.

"Yeah right…This is just like her… Running away from any problems and doing exactly what she wants…regardless how it affects anyone else…"

"Hey, just wait a minute…"

"You do realize that this won't work, don't you?" She continued. "That she is just using you and that you will never be able to make her happy…"

"You don't know what you're talking about!" Marshall insisted.

"Oh, I do…You might not think I know Mary but she's my daughter…I know her better than anyone." She claimed. "She got freaked out about how far her relationship with Raphael was going and took the first chance she had to escape that…"

"No…"

"I would have thought you would know better but you're just the same as her father…filling her head with hopes and dreams…" Jinx voice grew louder. "Promising to love her and protect her but you'll leave in the end…they always do…"

"That's not…." Marshall tried to cut in again but Jinx ignored him.

"You'll either get sick of the way she is or she will push you away, like she does with everyone…Either way, you'll leave and she will end up more damaged then she already is."

"You're wrong." Marshall claimed. "You know nothing about Mary or me…"

"Just tell her that when she remembers who her real family is, we might not still be around waiting for her to come to her senses."

Marshall pulled the phone away from his ear and stared at it in shock after Jinx had hung up.

"What did she say?"

He looked and saw Mary was stood in front of him, wrapped in a towel.

"Um…"

"Marshall?"

"Nothing…It doesn't matter."

"Marshall, you got that look on your face where you don't know whether to just shot to kill or if you want to torture them a little first…"

He sighed. "She just said to tell you, they might not be around waiting for you when you come to your senses."

"Well, that just breaks my heart." She said sarcastically. "What else?"

"Mary…"

"I know that's not what has upset you and I also know what Jinx can be like." She told him. "Just tell me."

"She said that you're just doing this to get out of your relationship with Raph…that I'll never be able to make you happy and I will eventually leave you…" He admitted. "Because I'm just like your Dad, promising you things I could never give you."

She stared up at him and he waited for her explode but after a few seconds, she just shrugged.

"I'm not surprised." She told him. "I mean, I can never do anything for myself…Unless it involves her and Brandi then I am just being selfish...and who the hell does she think she is talking to you like that?"

"Mare…"

"She doesn't know you at all if she thinks you're capable to being anything like my Dad… You're the only person in this world who has never ever lied to me…The one that has always been there for me no matter what…Who's been there to help them just because I asked…" Her voice got louder with each word and she started to pace in the small space between him and shower. "She can go to hell! She needs me more then I need her!"

"Mary." He reached out to take her arm to turn her towards him. "Just stop for a minute."

She looked at him. "You do know is she wrong, right? That you already do make me happy…That you're nothing like my Dad and I trust you with my life."

"I know." He assured her. "It'll be okay…It will all work out."

"I don't care if it does or doesn't as long as I got you…If Jinx can't accept that, then I want nothing to do with her…Brandi to."

He kissed her forehead. "They're just surprised and angry."

"I know." She leaned closer to him, being carefully of his injuries.

He looked down at her, gently running his fingers up and down her arm. He noticed how swollen her wrist was since she took off the bandage for her shower.

"Why don't you go and get dressed and I'll get you some ice."

"I'm the one who I meant to be taking care of you." She sighed.

"We take care of each other." He took hold of her chin gently and lifted her face she was looking up at him. "It's how we roll…"

She smiled slightly and stretched up to press a soft kiss on his lips.

"I'll get that ice." He said and winked at her before leaving the bathroom.

She turned and looked at herself in the mirror. Taking a few deep breaths, she tried to calm herself down. She hated that her family had this effect on her. She wished she could just walk away from them without feeling guilty or like she was failing…They had sure given her enough reason to leave them but every time she even considered it, there was a little voice telling her it would make her just like her Father. Deep down she knew it wasn't true…that James had ran out on them when things got tough but before he left he had asked her to take care of them…A job that had been incredibly hard and unrewarding but one that she could not just walk away from. A part of her believed that her mother and sister knew that and thought that she would always come to the rescue; helping them out of whatever problem they find themselves in but what they needed to start releasing was that she would turn her back on them in heartbeat for one reason…and that was Marshall. If they made her choose then she wouldn't hesitate….It would be no contest.

She may not have always shown it but family was important to her but Marshall was her family now. What they had was special and she needed to protect it from the curse of her family. It always seemed whenever something was going good, something or someone came along and ruined it. She was not going to let that happened to Marshall.

"Hey, I thought you were getting dressed."

She looked in the mirror to him stood behind her. "Sorry, I got distracted…"

He turned her around and gently took her wrist, placing the icepack on her wrist. "Better?"

"Yeah…" She nodded, looking down at it before up at him. "I meant it a few weeks back, when I said you would make a good Dad."

"Mary…"

"You're the kind of guy that would coach their soccer teams and who would help them building the best experiment for the science fair…"

"Are we really having this conversation now?" He asked. "In the bathroom, while you're in a towel?"

"I just…the idea of having kids is not so scary when you're the Dad." She told him. "I know you…and I know that if anything happened and we weren't able to be together, I know you would always be your children first…"

"What are you saying?"

"You would make a great Dad…but I don't know about me." She admitted. "I don't know if I have it in me to be the kind of Mom that your children need."

He frowned. "I don't understand…"

"I don't do the perfect, happy family life."

He sighed. "This is so not the time or place to have this conversation."

"Why not?" She asked. "Why do you keep putting it off?"

"Because it's not a decision to be taken lightly…" He said, frustrated.

"I know that, which is why I'm trying to have a discussion with you." She replied. "Why haven't you told me whether you want to keep this baby or not?"

"Because I can't make this decision for you." He told her. "Whatever I say, you're going to do to keep me happy…"

"This is not just up to me…It's your baby too."

"No, not yet it isn't…" He claimed. "At the moment, it's nothing to me because if we do decide not to keep it….then I can let it go but I minute I start thinking of it as a baby…our baby then…"

She stepped back so she could sit down on the edge of the bathtub. "You want to keep it."

He sighed and sat down next to her. "You want to truth?"

"Yes."

"I would like kids and there is no one else in the world that I would want to raise a family with other then you." He told her softly. "But it's not a deal breaker…if you don't want children, I'm okay with that."

"Really?"

"Yes, if it's what you want then I am more than happy to spend my life with just you…" He reached up to stroke her cheek gently. "But if you don't want kids because you're scared….or worried that you'll turn out like your Dad or Jinx…or that a part of you feels the way Brandi turned out is your fault because you raised her, then that's not fair…"

"Marshall…"

"It's not fair to deny me a child because of them and it's not fair to deny you the chance to have a proper family." He continued. "You said I am the only person in this world to never lie to you…and that you trust me completely."

"I do."

"Then trust me when I say you would make a good Mom….You might not be a stereotypical mom but you'll still be great…I know you would do anything in your power to protect any child and I've seen how you are with kids that come into the program." He told her. "Think about Leo, and Trent and Iris …You were great with them…Think about how you felt taking care of them and how it would feel with our child…"

"I had no clue what to do with those kids…" She insisted. "I just treated them like any other witnesses."

"You did what they needed you to do," he stated. "You protected them…talked to them… listened to them…."

"But how do you know all that would make me a good Mom?"

"Because I know you…and I know you're protective of the people you love…" He told her and quickly continued, knowing what her next question was going to be. "And I know you would love our children because you love me and you love what we have…they would be part of that."

"You keep saying children and I haven't agreed to this one yet." She muttered.

He smiled. "And you don't have to…I meant what I said, Mare…If it's not what you want then you will have my full support but all I ask is that you take a few days and really think about what you want and why."

She nodded a little. "Okay."

"Okay." He repeated. "You better get ready…My parents will be here soon."

She pushed herself back to her feet, leaning down to kiss him once more before making her way to the door. Marshall stayed seated for a few seconds, thinking about their conversation. He was pretty sure he knew what she was going to decide but it was too much of a risk to get his hopes up. His child would possibly the only person that he could ever love more than Mary and if he allowed himself to love this baby then she took it away from him, he knew it was probably the only thing that would break them. So, he refused to acknowledge it and tried not to think about it because he could not risk his heart or marriage on falling in love with it.

_**XxXxX**_

When Marshall's parents arrived, they both were trying to put their conversation in the bathroom out their minds. The last thing they wanted was his parents finding out about that tonight.

"Hey, Mom…" Marshall greeted her at the door and frowning when he saw she was alone. "Where's Dad?"

"He's getting some bags out of the car…" She told him, stepping into the house. "He'll be in, in a minute."

"Bags?" He followed her down to the kitchen. "What bags?"

"We brought some things that you might need…"

"Things?" He repeated, glancing at Mary who stood up from the kitchen table when they entered. "What things?"

"Your father mentioned you hadn't had time to go to the store, so we stopped on our way over." She informed him. "We just got you a few groceries to keep you going for a few days."

"Mom, you didn't need to do that." Marshall told her.

She rolled her eyes. "What and let you starve to death?"

"We're not going to starve to death…"

"Not now you're not." She replied, pulling out some saucepans.

"What are you doing now?"

"I'm betting you haven't had a home cooked meal in days so we're not having takeaway… I'm going to make us all dinner."

"Mom…"

"Marshall, you know how your mother is…let her do this because she'll just do it anyway." Seth appeared with several bags.

Mary reached out to take a couple and helped him put them on the table.

"There's a football game on…Do you mind if I put it on?" Seth nodded towards the living room.

"No, go ahead." Marshall replied.

Seth reached into a bag and pulled out a six pack of beer then handed one to Marshall. "Are you going to join me?"

"Uh… to watch football?" He questioned. He never a big fan of football and it was always his older brothers his Dad spent watching it with.

Seth shrugged. "It's up to you…"

Marshall looked down at the beer in his hand before watching his Dad walk out the room.

"You might as well go…It's not like you can help out in here." Jenna told him, already starting to prepare dinner. "Besides, it'll give me chance to get to know Mary… as long as she doesn't mind giving me a hand."

"Sure." Mary replied. "But I don't know how much help I'll be…I don't do much cooking."

"Oh no…" Marshall said, looking between the two women.

"What?" Mary asked in concern.

"They're trying to split us up…"

"What?"

"Divide and conquer…"

"Such a suspicious mind, this one." Jenna commented, patting Marshall's good shoulder. "Takes after his father…"

"Mom…"

"What?" She asked innocently. "I just want to cool my baby a nice wholesome meal and have a conversation with his new bride….Is that so bad?"

"Yes." Marshall replied. "I remember what you were like with the girls I dated in high school and college."

"Oh please…" She rolled her eyes and waved her dismissively.

"Would you just let them get on with it and get in here?" Seth shouted from the other room.

Marshall glanced in that direction before looking to Mary, who actually looked a little nervous but she nodded to him, silently telling him to go.

"Fine…but be nice." He warned.

"I will..." Both Mary and Jenna replied causing them to look at each other laugh lightly.

Marshall groaned and decided it probably was just best to leave them.

Once Marshall was out of the room, Jenna turned back to making dinner. "Mary, would you mind washing the salad?"

"That I can handle." She replied, moving over to the sink.

"So, you've probably guessed that Marshall was right…and that I wanted to have a little chat with you." Jenna started as she chopped from vegetables.

"Yeah, I figured as much."

"I'll be honest with you…Marshall is my youngest, my baby….His brothers were always closer with their father and I don't love them any less but I've always had this bond with Marshall…" She told her. "So, I'm sad I missed out on seeing him get married."

Mary's eyes widened; she never really gave much thought about people being disappointed about missing it. "Mrs. Mann, we never meant…"

She held up her hand to stop Mary from continue. "I know…I know you never meant to upset us…and if it's what Marshall wanted then I'm okay with it…If he's happy then I'm happy….If he wants you to be a part of our family then we will welcome you."

Mary stared at her. "Wow…"

"But just tell me that this what you both want…that you're both happy and committed to this."

"We are."

"Then there nothing else to discuss." She smiled. "Now let's get on with this dinner…"

"That's it?" Mary asked. "That's all you wanted to know?"

"If Marshall has decided that he loves you then there is nothing we can do about it… Even if we did have objections, then I know we would never see him again." She shrugged. "But it'll help me sleep better knowing, you love him as much as he loves you."

"I do." She nodded.

"Good….Oh, one more thing…."

"What's that?"

"Marshall's brothers are both in the Marshal Service and both very protective of their little brother…Seth is very well respected in the service and could make anyone's career difficult by just making a few phone calls….but just know, if you ever broke Marshall's heart, it wouldn't be them you would have to worry about….It would be me."

Mary couldn't help but smile a little; she had a feeling she was going to get on well with Marshall's Mom. "Understood."

"Great, now where is that salad?"

Marshall picked at the label on the beer bottle, shooting looks at father and then in the direction of the kitchen, wondering whether it was safe for him to go in there.

"Are you going to drink that or play with it?" Seth asked, breaking the silence.

"I can't drink with my medication."

Seth then reached over and took the bottle off him, taking a mouthful.

"So, you went and got yourself married…"

"Yeah." Marshall let out a breath; he hadn't realized he was holding. "So, let's hear it…"

"Hear what?"

"Whatever it is you have to say about it…" Marshall replied. "But please can you just leave the report cards out this time?"

Seth smirked a little and turned back to the football game. "Do you love her?"

Marshall looked at him in surprise for a few seconds before answering. "Yes."

"Are you happy?"

"Yes."

"Then congratulations."

"That's it? That's all you have to say?"

"Marshall, when you decided something then there is no one that can change your mind…" Seth muted the TV and looked at him again. "Ever since you were a little boy, there was no telling you couldn't do something and that hasn't changed as you got older….If you're happy then who am I to deny you that?"

Marshall didn't know what to say… He had prepared himself for a lecture. "Thanks, Dad…"

"No problem now can I watch the game?"

"Uh, sure…" Marshall replied, leaning back against the couch, hoping Mary's conversation with his Mom had been as good as his.

**XxXxX**

"So, that's what a normal family dinner is like?" Mary commented, as she climbed into bed beside Marshall that night.

"I wouldn't say normal…." He replied.

"It was a nice…I enjoyed it."

"Good, I'm glad." He smiled. "What did you and my mom talk about?"

She shrugged. "She just wanted to make sure that I loved you…"

Marshall sighed. "I'm sorry….She's a little over protective…."

"Don't apologize…I think she's great." Mary claimed. "She's exactly the kind of Mom I want to be…"

"Yeah but…" He started and then stopped. "Want?"

"I know you told me to take a few days to think about it and I will if you want me to do but I really don't think I'll change my mind."

"Mare, you're saying you want to have a baby…..Are you sure?"

"I can't promise you that I'm going to embrace this happily and love being pregnant but I do know I want to have a family with you…"

"After one meal with my parents?" He asked skeptically.

"No…I mean, I've been thinking about children since we were married…Granted, I never thought it would be this soon but when I found out I was pregnant, I never ever really considered getting rid of it…Yes, I was unsure about being a mother but when we had that scan…when there was no heart beat…"

"The doctor said that's normally….it's too early to hear anything…" He quickly assured her.

"I know but I didn't before she told us and those few seconds, I was scared…scared that there was no baby…" She admitted. "This baby is a part of me and I already love it because it's a part of you to…"

"You know what you're saying?" He whispered. "You know what this means? Being pregnant for the next 8 months….Being put on desk duty in a few months …taking time off work…having a little person depending on you 24/7 probably for the rest of your life…."

"Making you Dad…being able to share that with you… watching something we created grow and help them do good…" She added to the list. "I know, Marshall…I know what this means."

He had the biggest grin on his face she had never seen and she couldn't help but grin back at him. "I'm going to be a Dad?"

"Yep." She leaned down to kiss him lightly. "But you have to break the news to Stan."

"No problem…" He insisted. "I would take an ad out in the newspaper…get it written in the sky…"

"Maybe we should just stick with telling people the normal way." She laughed, finding it difficult not to get sweep away with his excitement.

"We can't tell anyone until the 12th week."

"You think it's a good idea to keep this secret after everything that has happened?"

"Its bad luck to tell people too early…People can think what they like, I'm not taking any risk with our child…even if it is just a superstition."

"Our child..." Mary repeated with a smile. "You know, there was just one image that I kept seeing ever since I saw you talking to Katie Nelson about those kittens…"

"What was it?"

"You with your daughter…reading her a bedtime story, tucking her in for the night and kissing her forehead." She said softly. "You're the kind of guy that would promise the stars and the moon and would deliver….You the kind of guy that would have a Daddy's girl from day one."

She was surprised to see he had tears in his eyes when she looked at him.

"I want that Marshall…I want that for you and I want that for me too."

He reached up and pulled her down to kiss her deeply and held her tightly to him, ignoring the pain it caused.

"I love you so much…" He broke the kiss to tell her.

"I love you too." She replied and she led her head on his chest, he placed his uninjured hand on her still flat stomach. She looked down at it for a few seconds, before covering it with her own and threading her fingers through his.

**TBC**

**Okay, so a bit of drama and sappiness in there. Please let me know what you think! **


	14. Chapter 14

**Thank you so much to everyone that reviewed! Please keep them coming! **

**Enjoy! **

**What Happens in Vegas**

"Stan, have you got a minute?" Mary asked, knocking once on his office's open door.

"I haven't heard anything from head office yet…" Stan started but Mary cut in.

"It's not that…There was something I wanted to talk to you about before Marshall got here." She stepped fully into the room.

Stan looked at her in surprise but then nodded towards the chair opposite his desk. "Take a seat."

"I wanted to give you this." She didn't sit down; instead she held an envelope out to him.

"What is it?"

"My letter of resignation…"

"Mary, I honestly have no say in whether you and Marshall get to stay together." Stan told her. "Trying to blackmail…"

"I'm not…I promise you, that's the last thing I want to do." She insisted. "I just…If Marshall and I can't be partner anymore, we can accept that as long as we stay in the same office…but if they try to transfer one of us then Marshall will quit."

"I know, he said yesterday."

"Well, if it comes to that, I want you to accept my resignation before his."

"Are you serious?"

"Yes, Marshall would never let me resign so I need to get in there first." She replied.

"Mary…"

"He dreamt of doing this job since he was a little boy…he wanted to be just like his Dad and Grandfathers…I can't take that away from him." Mary said before continuing jokingly. "Besides, we both know he can go a lot further in his career where as I am probably one more compliant letter away from getting booted out of here, anyway."

Stan looked down at the envelope in his hand for a second before opening his top draw and placing it inside. "Was there anything else?"

"No." She shook her head. She wasn't used to Stan being so off with her but she knew they couldn't really blame him. "Thanks."

As soon as Mary left the office, Stan picked up the phone and pressed a few button.

"Yes, this is Chief Stan McQueen...I need to know what the situation is with my two Inspector now that they are married?" He asked. "I know it's not a common thing to happen but if you knew the two of them, then you would have probably have thought they had been married for years…They are both dedicated to their jobs and are the best I've worked with..."

He rubbed his eyes in frustration. "Look, I am willing to take this above you and to risk my career on backing them…because I know if you try separating them, one or both of them will quit… Take a look at their files…Marshal Shannon, may be unorthodox but she gets the job done better than most…and Marshal Mann excelled in all of his classes and has an exceptional record… There is no one better then these two…They have one of the best success rights in the service."

He paused and listened to what he was being told. "Well, thanks a lot."

He slammed down the phone but then picked it back up again. "Tony, Stan McQueen…listen, remember that favor you owe me…Yeah, well, I could do with a bit of help."

_**XxXxX**_

A few hours later, Mary looked up from her paperwork when she heard the elevator and smirked when she saw Marshall step off.

"What?" He asked, after swiping himself into the office.

"Nice outfit."

He looked down at himself, knowing she was referring to the fact he was wearing what he would normally wear to the gym, not to work.

"I couldn't do the button up on my shirts or my jeans." He explained. "This is the best I could come up with."

"How did you managed to get the t-shirt on and do up your sneakers with one hand?" She questioned.

"Laces are still undone and getting the t-shirt on hurt like hell…" He admitted. "I'm considering just wearing this one until I get the use of my right arm back."

She rolled her eyes and stood up. "You're such a dork."

"You say the sweetest things." He replied sarcastically, watching her kneel down in front of him to tie up his shoes. "Thanks."

"I just don't want you tripping over and doing even more damage to yourself." She claimed, standing up again. "Otherwise, we're going to be living on takeaway for a long time."

He smiled. "Not true…My parents are at our place and Mom is cooking us a load of meals to freeze."

"Seriously?" Mary questioned. "Man, I love your Mother."

Marshall laughed a little. "So, has Stan said anything at all?"

"Just that he hasn't heard anything…" She sighed. "He still seems pretty pissed at us."

"I guess we have made his job a lot more difficult." Marshall leaned back to sit on the edge of his desk. "They've been on his back for a while now about our budget and telling him to make cuts…We've just given them the perfect opportunity to transfer one of us."

"Hey, if they need to make cuts, they can have Eleanor." She suggested, seeing the woman entering the office from one of the conference room. "I mean, what does she really do here?"

"Huh…I wouldn't mind being transferred to an office where they didn't just let anyone be an inspector." Eleanor shot back without looking up from the file in her hand.

"Ah, you would only be bored." Marshall claimed and then looked back to Mary. "You have to remember you can't get mad at Stan…"

She rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. "I'm not a child…I can control myself."

"Ha!" Eleanor laughed and sat down at her desk.

"Mare, promise me that you won't blow up at Stan."

"Fine, whatever."

Stan opened his office door and silently gesturing the two of them to enter. They shared a look before walking towards the door.

"Good luck." Eleanor called out as Mary closed the door behind them.

"Take a seat." Stan told them both, sitting down behind his desk.

They both did as they were told and silently waited for their boss to talk. Marshall glanced across at Mary, noticing she was fidgeting with the three chains around her neck; both of their wedding rings and the St Christopher necklace. He wanted to reach out and take her hand but he wasn't sure how well that would go over with Stan.

"Stan, listen…" Mary dropped her hands to her lap, unable to take the silence any longer.

"Why didn't you tell me?" He asked with a sigh. "Did you think I never notice how the two of you are together? That I didn't spend the last five years, wondering what I would do when you finally gave into your feelings?"

Mary and Marshall looked at each other in surprise; neither of them was expecting that from him.

"I'm a US Marshal for god's sake…I'm trained to observe people and I'm damn good at my job...Why didn't you trust that I would know that what you two have is real and not some fling?" He questioned and then looked across to Marshall. "Didn't I tell you not so long ago, never to doubt my loyalty to either of you?"

Marshall swallowed the lump that had risen in his throat; remembering it was just after Mary's abduction and O'Conner had been out to get her. He couldn't help but feel incredibly guilty for making Stan think they didn't trust him. The last time he remembered feeling this bad was when he was 15 years old and one of the few times he had rebelled against his parents. He had snuck out after curfew to meet Sally Martins and his father caught him trying to get back into the house at 2am. He hadn't shouted nor punished…simply just told him, how disappointed he was in him. Hearing those words were worse than any punishment he could think of and it still had the same affect today.

"Stan…We never meant to offend you…" He tried to explain. "We were both still getting used to our new relationship and we wanted to protect it but please believe us when we say it wasn't personal to you."

"And we were so sure that we would be split up when it all came out..." Mary added. "We just wanted a bit of time to get our heads around everything before dealing with that."

Stan rubbed his eyes. "Well, what's done is done…It's time to move on."

"Right…" Marshall nodded. "Have you heard what's going to happen next?"

"If you both want to stay in the Marshal the Service then there are two options." Stan told them. "There is an opening in the Baltimore Tactical Operation's office…The guy in charge over there, has worked you before, Marshall and he has shown a great deal of interest in you join the team."

"Baltimore?" Mary repeated.

"What about Mary?" Marshall questioned.

"The closest position there is in Harrisburg and you would be able to stay with Witness Protection."

"That's over an hour and half drive." Marshall shook his head.

"How do you know that of the top of your head?" Mary stared at him.

"What's the second option?" Marshall ignored her.

"You can both stay in Wit-Sec here."

They both looked at each other before back to Stan in shock.

"You just gave us that first option to mess with us, didn't you?" Mary said.

Stan smirked a little. "A little pay back never hurts."

"We really get to stay here?"

"It won't be the same as before." He warned.

"So, we can't stay partners?"

"Not as such…" Stan hedged.

"What does that mean?" Mary leaned forward. "Because that sounds like we may be able to stay partners."

"Things are going to different in this office from now on…" Stan started to explain. "They have been on my back for a long time about our overspending and I've always managed to justify with our success rate…"

"What's that got to do with us being partners?"

"I told them that while we don't always stick to the budget, we have less Marshals here than most offices and we still manage to come on top….I also remained them that it's largely due to the two of you." He continued. "You two work incredibly well together even though you both have different working style, they mix perfectly together…"

"So, we are going to be able to stay together?" Marshall asked, frowning a little in confusion.

"We've managed to work out a deal that if the two of you agree to, will make everyone happy." Stan told them. "It hasn't been done before so on a trial bases this office will be the first to be a training office."

"A training office? What the hell does that mean?"

"That means that in eight weeks or so, we will have four trainee wit-sec inspectors."

"What?" Mary exclaimed. "Stan, no…no more new people…Charlie I can accept…Eleanor is bad enough but this…"

"Mary, just hold on a minute." Marshall cut in, rolling his eyes before turning to Stan, "I still don't understand what that has to do with us and our partnership."

"Well, no one is comfortable allowing new inspectors deal with some of top priority cases we get here so on those, you two will work together."

"And the rest of the time?" Mary asked.

"The rest of the time, I want you working with Charlie…He's pretty much done with his training but he's still not ready for the big stuff."

"I can cope with Charlie…" Mary nodded a little, willing to compromise since she had been expecting one of them to have to resign today.

"What about me?"

"You'll be working with the trainees."

"Ha, you get the newbies!" Mary grinned at him.

"The idea is that spend six months here learning from the best…" Stan said then held up hand to stop Mary when he saw her opening her mouth. "We all consider you just as good as Marshall but believe he has better skills at training, answering questions and….well, dealing with people…"

Mary glanced at Marshall; in the past she would have argued just for the sake of arguing but now she couldn't help but feel proud of her husband.

"So, what do you say?" Stan asked Marshall after Mary shrugged, silently agreeing with what he had said. "Fancy shaping the future of wit-sec?"

"Well, yeah…It sounds great…" Marshall replied. "Too great…I can't believe it… Stan, we can't thank you enough for this."

"I know you were both serious about leaving…It would have been a damn waste if you did and it's about time this office got some recognition for the good work we do."

"When does all this start?"

"I want you working with Charlie right away since Marshall is going to be out for a few more weeks…" Stan told her. "They are going to be watching us…particularly you two very closely for a while so please make sure you do things by the book."

"You say that like we don't…."

"I mean it, Mary…" He said sternly. "And that also means, until you're cleared from the doctor, Marshall you are not allowed to work."

"I know…"

"I know you know…but I've also know you've known in the past when you've been put on leave yet you ignored it…." Stan replied. "I'm not playing around with this…A lot of people are backing this office for this trial and I don't want to let them down."

"We got it, Stan…We'll be on our best behavior." Marshall stated.

"Right, well if there aren't any questions I got a conference call to make."

"Thanks, Stan…We appreciate everything you've done." Marshall said as they both stood up.

"Yeah, and we really never meant to upset you." Mary added.

"Let's forget about all that now….There's a lot of change happening at the moment but I think we can handle it."

Marshall smiled. "You got it, boss."

"Now get out of here." Stan waited until Marshall had stepped out for the office before calling out. "Mary?"

"Yeah?" She stopped in the doorway to look back at him.

"Should I get rid of this now?" He asked, holding up the envelope she had given him earlier.

"Yes."

He tore it in half before dropping it into the bin. "And Mary? Congratulation."

She smiled. "Thanks, Stan…"

"I know I wasn't too happy when I first found out but I really do think you two are good for each other." He added softly. "I remember when you first arrive here; you didn't trust anyone and never let anyone in…somehow Marshall broke down those barriers that you put up so long ago and brought out the real you…And he thinks the world you of….He adores you."

"You're going soft in your old age…" Mary tried to joke.

"I just…remember who he is." He told her. "If there is only one person in this whole world that you trust, remember that it's Marshall….Don't push him away."

"I don't think he would let me even if I tried."

Stan smiled "Probably not…He's as stubborn as you when he wants to be."

She smiled once before nodding her head towards the main office. "I better go escort him out of the building…make sure he isn't trying to secretly do some work."

"Tell him to get a doctor's note and he can do all the work he wants."

"The sap can't even get dressed in the morning without help…" Mary rolled her eyes as she stepped out the office.

"Are you talking about me again, dear?" Marshall said sweetly from where he was stood by Eleanor's desk

"Always, sweetheart." She shot back.

"Yeah, this is just weird." Eleanor shook her head.

"What was that about?" Marshall questioned, gesturing to Stan's office.

"Nothing." She replied. "Do you need a ride home?"

"Nah, my parents are coming by to pick me up and we're going out for lunch…You want to join us?"

"You should spend some time alone with them."

"Don't be crazy…they love you."

"And I should get some work done." She added. "I got a lot of paperwork to catch up on…"

"Ah, I'm not here for you to pawn it off on."

"Exactly so unless you want to smuggle some out under your t-shirt get out of here." She told him.

"Fine, I know where I'm not wanted." He walked towards the door. "I'll see you at home then."

"I won't be late." She trailed behind him and reached up to give kiss before he left.

He smiled widely at her once more and she would have teased him about the goofy grin if she wasn't so sure, she had a matching one on her own face.

**XxXxX**

Mary's day had uneventful; she still had a couple more days of desk duty until her wrist healed enough for her to go back into the field. By 4:30, she had had enough of paperwork and told Stan was leaving early. Knowing her as well as he did, he knew a bored Mary was not a fun Mary to be around and since there was nothing for her to do other than paperwork that could wait, he didn't stop her.

She thought about calling Marshall and finding out where he was, so she could join him and his parents but decided she should check on Jinx and Brandi. She was hoping they would have calm down now they've had a few days to get over the shock; although she hadn't completely forgiven Jinx for what she said to Marshall.

She let herself into the house with her own key but didn't call out. She quietly made her way through to the kitchen where she found her mom, sister and Peter.

"Mary….hi." Peter was the only one to greet her but he was shooting unsure looks between the three women.

"Hey…" She stepped into the room. "What's going on?"

Brandi stayed silent and turned her attention to magazine spread out in front of her on the counter.

"Like you give a damn." Jinx spat.

"Mom…I've had a rough few days, can you just for once try and understand…"

"Oh, I understand alright….Running off like you did with that Mark…"

"That's nothing like this." Mary insisted. "I ran off then to try and get away from you…"

"And this time you ran off because you were too scared to have a normal life with Raphael"

"Too scared?" She repeated. "Do you not realize that I am actually married…that I'm living with my husband quite happily…."

"You've married to your friend who took advantage of you."

Mary glared at her. "Don't ever talk about Marshall like that."

"Hit a nerve, did I?"

"He's a good man and if you bothered to make an effort to get to know him, you would see how much he loves me and how much I love him."

"I've seen the way he looks at you…he only wanted you because he couldn't have you…now he has got he wants, he'll get bored and move on."

"Shut up."

"And it's actually what you deserve because that's exactly how you treat everyone…"

"I knew this was a bad idea." She muttered.

"Running off again?"

"No, I'm going home…To my husband, whom I'm going to spend the rest of my life, happily with." Mary claimed. "If you're too narrow mind…too damaged to see not everyone has to spend their lives alone…"

"Not everyone but I don't think you're capable to living your life with someone and being happy." Jinx shot back. "Because you're never happy unless others are miserable!"

"You know, if that what you think, fine." She threw her hands up. "If you don't want anything to do with me then I can live with that but this means I'm out of your life for good… So, from now you can clean up your own messes…and find your own damn house to live because I'm selling up."

Mary didn't wait for a response and stormed out. She had really thought they would come around to the idea of her being with Marshall. Most people she spoke had told her they had guessed that they had feeling for each other… She had assumed her family would have too.

_**xXxXx**_

Marshall was surprised to see Mary's car in the driveway when he arrive home with parents; she had said she wouldn't be late but he hadn't expected her back this early.

"Mare?" He called out when he walked through the front door, his parents following. They wanted to take the two of them out for a meal to properly celebrate their marriage.

"Hey…" She answered, from the couch but didn't turn around.

"Did you have any plans for tonight?" He asked, walking towards her. "My parents want to take us to dinner."

"Our treat." Jenna added.

Marshall stopped dead when he rounded the couch and got a look at his wife. She had changed into sweat pants and one of his shirts. He could tell by just one look at her face she had been crying.

"Mare?" He questioned. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine…" She gave him a weak smile. "Just tired."

"Are you sure?"

"Of course…" She tried to assure him but knew she had failed. "I'm sorry but I got a bit of a headache, if it's okay I'm going to take a rain check on dinner."

"That's fine, dear…" Jenna frowned a little in concern. "Is there anything I can get you?"

"No, I think I'm going to have a lie down." She pushed herself to her and look to Marshall. "You go out and have fun; I'll see you when you get back."

She quickly escaped to the bedroom, not waiting for a reply. She felt like she was going to burst into tears at the any moment and she didn't want Marshall's parents to see her like that.

She led down on Marshall's side of the bed, hugging his pillow closely and closed her eyes, wishing she could just go to sleep so she could forget about everything. Not one part of her believed what Jinx had said about their relationship; she knew they were strong but she hated her family thought differently. She hated that just as they both seemed to getting their lives sorted out; they turned their back on her. She couldn't help but wonder what they would do the next time they were in trouble or when they needed money. Would they have the nerve to ask her?

She was more upset at Brandi's actions then her Mom's. Jinx has always had relationship issues, she was worse than Mary so she wasn't surprised that Jinx failed to accept that she might get fairytale ending (although Mary would never admit to anyone that she considered her marriage that.)

Brandi, although was just as bad with men as her mother and sister had always been a hopeless romantic and Mary knew she liked Marshall. Even though she seemed to have things in common with Raphael, whenever she needed advice or help with her school work, she would speak to Marshall. Mary always knew when they had their little conversations because there were times when her sister would bring a subject up with her and say the right things at the right time, so that she didn't get mad; she could always practically hear Marshall saying the words, not Brandi. She had been hoping, once her sister had gotten over the shock, she would be excited that they seemed to living the story to some corny rom-com film.

She hadn't been alone for five minutes before she heard the door and then felt the bed dip under Marshall's weight.

"You know, I'm kind of jealous…" He said quietly, sitting on the edge of the bed by her side.

She glanced up at him. "What of?"

"Of the fact you can wear one of my shirts when I can't…"

She couldn't help but smile. "It's comfortable."

He put his hand to her cheek gently, stopping her from looking away. "You want to tell me what's going on?"

"It's nothing…" She shook her head. "You shouldn't leave your parents out there alone…"

"They've gone back to the hotel."

"Marshall!" She sat up. "I didn't want to ruin your night."

"You haven't." He said calmly. "But I'm not leaving you when you feel like crap."

She sighed and led back down but moved slightly so he had more room; deep down she was relieved he hadn't gone out. He swung his legs onto the bed, wincing in pain a little but didn't complain and when he leaned back against the headboard, Mary move to rest her head in his lap and he brushed her hair off her face.

"Mare?" He prompted after a few minutes of silence.

She sighed. "I went to see Jinx and Brandi after work…it didn't go so well."

"What happened?" He questioned.

"Brandi didn't say one word and would barely look at me…Jinx pretty much repeated what she to you on the phone."

"I'm sorry…" He whispered, still stroking her hair.

"She said I'm only happy when they're miserable… she has said that before…Right before I got abducted." Mary admitted. "But I hate it…I hate always assuming something is going to go wrong when it finally starts going right….and this time, I actually thought everything was going to work out."

"It will, Mare…I promise." He told her. "It might take time and it might mean some people aren't in our lives anymore but if they can't be happy for us, then we don't need them."

She reached up and took his hand then brought it down to her stomach; covering it with her own. "What do we till this kid?"

"About what?"

"When they ask why we see your family but not mine…" She replied. "When they asked about my mom and dad… What do I tell them? That my dad was a waste of space criminal, who ruined my childhood…and that my mom was a fall down drunk that hated you?"

"She might come around…"

"But she always does this… Whenever I do something she doesn't understand or likes, she tells me I'm being selfish….that I'm letting everyone down… Why would I want someone like that in our child's life?"

Marshall sighed. "Mare, I don't really know what to tell you… You are right to want to protect the baby from being hurt or hearing things like that but are you really sure you want to walk away from your family? You guys have been through so much together and despite what your mom said, it's them that's let you down but you've always been there for them, no matter what…"

"Maybe it's time I stopped taking care of them."

"Maybe…You're certainly have been given a lot of reasons to do so…" He agreed. "But I don't know if you can stop."

She pushed herself up to lean on her hand so she could look at him.

"This is what you do, Mare…" He said softly and reached out to pull the St Christopher chain from around her neck. "It's one of the reasons I love you so much…You take care of people and protect them….You're so good at it."

"So, you're saying I shouldn't give up on them?"

"I'm saying don't give up on them if you don't want to." He told her. "I'm a grown man, I can handle Jinx and Brandi being angry at me…I can take whatever they have to say and won't use it against them in future…."

"You shouldn't have to."

"We're in this together, remember….All I mean, is I don't want you to walk away from them just because of me…Or because you think people would think you weak for not doing so…. If this is just them being upset about how we got together and how your relationship with Raphael ended, then maybe they're right to be so…." He shrugged. "I know they drive you crazy and that they are the complete opposite to you but I also know you love them."

Mary looked down when she felt tears in her eyes. He was right but she wished that it could be easy for her to just turn her back on them.

"They've come along since everything that went down with Brandi and those drugs…She screwed up big time but she's also been working hard to put things right, to make things up to you because you're her hero, Mare…and I know you're proud of what she has achieved the last few months."

"Brandi I can forgive…" She admitted. "But a daughter should never have to hear their mother say they deserve to be miserable and alone."

Marshall instantly felt anger rising up inside of him. Mary had worked so hard on letting people in and he wondered whether Jinx realized she had the power to destroy with just her words.

"No, they shouldn't." He agreed tugging on her hand until she rested her head on his shoulder, then he put his arm around her. "She's wrong, Mare…You deserve to be happy."

"I am happy." She whispered.

"Give it time and talk to Brandi again in a few weeks." He suggested. "I bet by then she'll be missing her big sister."

"I really don't know if I care anymore…"

He rubbed soothing circles on her back. "Yeah, you do."

"I wish I didn't…"

"I know." He rested his cheek on the top of her head. "But we'll work it out, together…I promise."

"I'm sorry."

"What for?" He frowned.

"For being a complete mess."

"Don't apologize…After everything that has happened and the baby, its understandable being emotional…Your hormones…"

"Oh god, please don't get started on emotions and hormones…" She rolled her eyes and sat up again. "It's bad enough I've got to feel them, let alone talk about them."

"It's going to be along pregnancy, isn't it?" He questioned, wondering how he was going to survive the mood swings she was bound to experience.

"And I'm going to make sure you there for every apart of it…"

"Wouldn't miss it for the world…"

"And I'm telling you now, if I cry at some dumb soup power commercial, you're never touching me again…"

"Duly noted…"

"And you better be prepared to go out at 2am to get whatever it is I'm craving…"

"Goes without saying..."

"I can't believe you did this to me." She muttered and led back down.

"Sorry."

"No, you're not."

He smirked. "No, I'm not."

They lay in silence and after a few minutes, Marshall was beginning to think she had fallen asleep when she looked up at him, her chin resting on his chest.

"Would you do anything differently?" She asked. "I mean, other than telling people sooner…"

He thought for a few seconds. "I think, if we hadn't got drunk and eloped then we probably would have never taken that step…Except for all the secrets, I love that we were able to go from being friends to being completely committed to each other in one night…How many other couples can say that?"

She smiled. "We were already committed to each other."

"I guess on some level or it would have never worked." He agreed. "What's brought this on?"

"Do you think we should have another wedding?"

"I already thought about that…Wondered if it might make up to our families for missing out but my parents don't really seem too bothered by it now…" He shrugged. "If you want to do it, then I'm happy to."

"I don't think we need to." She replied, moving to sit cross legged beside him. He watched silently as she undid the two chains with their wedding rings on. She handed him one and when he looked down, he saw it was hers. "Marshall Mann, will you marry me?"

He grinned widely. "Of course."

She took his left hand and slipped the ring onto his finger for the first time since they had brought them. As soon as she let go of his hand, he moved it to the back of her neck and pulled her forward to kiss her deeply.

He pulled back only a few millimeters, his thumb down tracing circles on her cheek. "Mary Shannon, will you marry me?"

She nodded and held out her hand. Once he slid the ring on, he brought her hand to his mouth and kissed it.

"I love you."

"I love you too…" She whispered, threading her fingers through his.

**TBC**

**Okay, another pretty long chapter…and more sappiness! I hope Mary wasn't too out of character. Only two more chapters left of this fic so please review and let me know what you think! **

s


	15. Chapter 15

**Hey, thank you to everyone that reviewed! Please keep them coming! **

**What Happens in Vegas**

Marshall had pulled over and parked the car then rotated his right wrist and flexed his fingers. It had been seven weeks since the accident and although his arm and shoulder still hurt a little, his doctor had told him, he needed to start using it again. He was going to need more physical therapy for at least another month to get it back to normal but he was finally allowed to go back to work next week and he couldn't wait, even it was just desk duty. He was losing his mind being stuck up home with nothing to do. He knew Mary was fed up of worrying about what crazy thing she would find him doing every night she got home. He smiled, thinking back to the look on her face the previous week when she found him led on the floor, trying to teach Amber tricks.

It was because of Mary that he was here today but he knew there was a big chance she would kick his ass if she found out. He glanced out the window to her house, his eyes falling onto the 'for sale' sign in the front yard. After her confrontation with Jinx, things had not improved between Mary and her mom. Jinx had found her own apartment and moved out three weeks ago. Then Mary got a call from Peter a few days ago, saying Brandi was going to be moving in with him and he wanted to let her know, the house would be empty. Mary had shrugged and said she was glad that her family were finally taking control of their lives and were not relying her anymore. She had put the house up for the sale the next day and not said another word about it but Marshall knew she was upset. Her family was moving on and while it was a good thing, they were leaving her behind; after everything she had done for them.

Marshall hoped she would understand why he was doing this because he knew she wouldn't. She was too stubborn to come and force Brandi to talk to her and to tell Jinx to get over whatever her problem was.

He got out the car and made his way to the front door. He was hoping that it would be Brandi at the house and not Jinx. He found it easy talking to the younger Shannon; they always had interesting conversations and she wasn't as clueless as someone people thought.

He knocked on the door and was greeted by Peter.

"Marshall?" He said in surprise.

"Hey, Peter…Sorry to turn up unannounced but I was wondering if Brandi was around…"

"Uh…" Peter glanced over his shoulder, obviously trying to decide what the best thing to do was.

"I won't stay long…" Marshall assured him. "But I was hoping we could figure all this stuff out…"

"Of course…" Peter nodded in agreement and stepped aside. "Come on in."

"Thanks."

"So, how are you doing?" Peter questioned. "You look better than the last time I saw you…Not so purple now."

Marshall gave him a small smile. "I'm getting there…My arm isn't completely healed yet but I guess I was pretty lucky from what I heard…"

"Who was at the door?" Brandi asked, walking into the room but then stopped when she saw Marshall. "Mary's not here."

"I know…" Marshall replied. "I come to talk to you…"

"If you're here to tell me to get out the house then don't worry, I'll be gone…"

"Brandi." Marshall cut in. "I'm not here to cause trouble…I want to talk to you and try to sort some things out."

Brandi just looked at him for a few seconds before dropping her eyes down to the door and folding her arms. "There's nothing to sort out…"

"Brandi…" Peter walked over to her and put a hand on her shoulder. "Why don't you just hear him out? What harm could it do?"

She looked up to her boyfriend and then sighed loudly. "Fine but only for ten minutes."

"I'll make some drinks." Peter offered, escaping to the kitchen but flashed Marshall a smile on his way.

"So, you're moving in with Peter...That must be exciting…" Marshall started.

"I wasn't given much choice." She replied, sitting down on the sofa. "Considering I was about to be made homeless."

"That's not true…Mary would never do that to you." He claimed. "She didn't do anything about the house until after she found out you were moving."

"Look, did you come here to talk about me and Peter or…?"

"I wanted to apologize to you…" He told her, sitting down beside her. "It was never our intention to hurt people but I guess there was no way around it…"

"As long as Mary gets what she wants…"

"Brandi, when was the last time Mary got what she wanted?" He asked her. "Think about it…When she wasn't at work, what was she doing?"

"I don't know…Spending with Chico, I guess…"

"She wasn't happy, Brandi…" Marshall claimed. "And I think you know that…"

"That doesn't make what you did okay." She shot back. "She should have been honest with Raph and to us…We were worried about her because she was never home when she was playing happy families with you."

"I can understand that." Marshall nodded a little. "But I can tell you that she never meant to hurt you…She just wanted to talk to Raph before anyone else."

"What about that night when Raph got home…when you came over and there we all were talking about the wedding…" She turned in her seat, so she was facing him. "I bet you had a real good laugh about that…How stupid we were…"

"No it wasn't like that…"

"Yeah right…"

"Brandi, I promise you, we never."

"Why should I believe you?"

Marshall hesitated, quickly trying to work out how much too actually tell her. "Because I didn't know Raph would be there."

"Well, no because Mary thought he was still out of the country..."

"I mean, I thought Raphael already knew about Mary and me…I thought you all did."

Brandi stared at him, her minding going back to that night. She now remembered being concerned about him after he had left and she had been planning on asking Mary if he was okay but she had left so quickly that she never got chance.

"It's complicated…" He continued. "Mary planned to tell Raph the day we got back from Vegas but he was already gone and it's not the kind of thing you should do over the phone."

"But she told you that she told him?"

"I didn't know he was away and told her, she had to tell him…I guess, she didn't want to upset me and things got out of hand quickly."

"And you forgave her?"

"Yes." He nodded. "We argued and shouted at each other then we talked about it. She explained why she did what she did and I wished she would have spoken to me about it before but I can understand why she did it."

"How?"

"Because I love her." He said softly with a small smile. "She makes me happy."

Brandi turned back around to face forward and leaned back against the sofa.

"She made a mistake, Brandi but she actually did it in an attempt not to hurt people." He stated. "Everyone makes mistakes… Even Mary."

"Raphael was my friend…"

"Mary is your sister….think about everything she has done for you." Marshall told her. "I know she's not great at showing it but she loves you…She would do anything for you…She already has done a lot for you."

Brandi stayed silent, chewing on her bottom lip thoughtfully.

"Look, she's too stubborn to admit it but she misses you…and I think she could do with having you around."

"Me?" She questioned. "What can I do for her?"

"Just trust me," He replied. "There's going to be a lot happening and after everything you've been through together, can you honestly tell me that you want Mary out of your life?"

Brandi looked at him curiously, trying to work out what it was, he wasn't telling her.

"Why don't you and Peter come over for dinner tonight?" Marshall offered. "You and Mary can talk and I'll cook…It'll give me something to do…I'm bored out of my mind being off work."

"What about Mom?"

Marshall sighed. "I don't think Mary is ready to talk to her yet…she said some things that cut pretty deeply."

Brandi brought her thumb's nail to her mouth. She always hated it when her mom and Mary fought because she had always got caught in the middle.

"You don't have to decide now…" He told her as he got to his feet. "I normally do enough food to feed an army...If you do want to come, then dinner will be about 8…and if you don't then that's okay, all I ask is that you think about what I've said."

Brandi nodded silently but didn't move to stand up.

"Thank you for letting me have my say." Marshall gave her small smile before making his way to the door. He waved goodbye to Peter, who was still hovering in the kitchen, not wanting to interrupt.

Once he was back in the car, he sighed and rubbed his eyes. He wished that had gone better. He wished he could call Mary to tell her Brandi was joining them for dinner but knew if he did and she didn't show, then it would only make matters worse. He just hoped he had done the right thing and it wasn't going to come back to bite him in the ass.

_**XxXxX**_

Mary rolled her eyes when opened the front door and was greeted by music. She made her way to the kitchen, expecting to find her husband doing some kind of new dance routine but saw he was just cooking.

"Hey."

He was stood in front of the stove, stirring something a big pot. "Hey."

"You've been watching the cooking channel again?" She questioned.

"It was either that or Dora the Explore…I'll save that show when I actually have a good excuse for watching it." He quipped. "You're later then I thought you would be."

It was almost 7:30, he had started to think he had cooked all this food and no one was going to turn up.

"Yeah, new witness…You know how it can be." She shrugged, walking behind him and put a hand on his back as she tried to get a look at what he was doing. "So, what's for dinner?"

"Chilli." He told her and turned, holding the wooden spoon out for her to taste. "Careful, it's hot."

"Hmm." She took a mouthful. "That's good."

"Secret ingredient, chocolate." He turned back to the stove.

"You have a lot there…" She commented, moving to the fridge to grab a drink and she saw a chocolate cheesecake. "Dessert as well? I know I'm eating for two but…"

He shrugged. "It's kept me busy today."

"Maybe I should have let you quit your job….You make a good house husband."

"Ha-ha." He rolled his eyes but before he could say anymore the doorbell rang.

"I'll get it."

"Okay, wait a minute…" Marshall moved to block before she had chance to leave the room. "There's something you need to know…"

She frowned. "What's going on?"

"The reason there is a lot of food is because I invited someone to join us for dinner." He told her. "Brandi."

Her eyes widened. "Brandi?"

"And Peter."

"You talked to my sister?"

"Yes, it might not have been my place to but I had to try something…"

Mary looked past him to the door when the bell rang again. "What did she say to you?"

"Not a lot." Marshall replied. "I did most of the talking…I told her I loved you and that we make each other happy…that we never meant to hurt anyone and also remained her all you've done for her."

Mary sighed. "I better get the door before they think we're not home."

He nodded and stepped aside but followed her out of the kitchen and down the hall. He was right behind her, his hand on her lower back when she opened the door to a grinning Peter and a nervous looking, Brandi.

"Hey, sorry we're late." Peter said, once he realized Brandi wasn't going to speak.

"Not at all…Right, on time…Mary just got home herself." Marshall replied. "Come on in."

Mary moved back to let them by, making Marshall move his hand but instead put his arm around her waist. She looked at Brandi but she sister refused to make eye contact, instead she busied herself by taking her jacket off and looking for somewhere to hang it.

"Why don't I take that?" Marshall reached for their coat and Mary instantly missed having him by her side.

She shook her head slightly, wondering why she felt as nervous as Brandi looked. This was her sister, the one she had practically raised. It must be a good sign that they had come, it must mean that apart of Brandi wanted to clear the air.

She wanted to be angry with Marshall for interfering and springing this on her but as she watched him lead her sister and her boyfriend through their house, she found she was actually grateful.

"Can I get you guys a drink?" Marshall offered, gesturing for them to take a seat on the couch. "We have beer, soda and I think some kind of juice…"

"Oh, we meant to bring some wine." Peter replied. "I must have it back at the house…"

"Don't worry about it…there are only two of us that can drink anyway…" Marshall replied but only noticed his slip up when he saw the look Mary shot him from the doorway. He looked over to their guest and could practically see Brandi's mind turning over his words.

"Only two?" Peter questioned, knowing he was one but was clueless to who the second was.

"I took some painkiller earlier for my arm… I can't drink with them." He tried to cover and was relieved when they looked like they accepted his answer.

"Oh…Well, I'll take a soda." Peter shrugged.

"Me too." Brandi added.

"I'll be right back." Marshall smiled.

Mary rolled her eyes at him as he passed her but couldn't resisting smiling when poked his tongue out at her.

"You have a cat?"

Mary looked over to Brandi, who was watching Amber staring at the two of them curiously.

"Uh, yeah… We got her a couple weeks ago." Mary replied, moving fully into the room. "Her name is Amber."

"You have a cat with a girly name?" Brandi finally looked at her. "You?"

Mary smirked. "Marshall chose the name."

"You're suggestions lacked imagination…" Marshall stated, re-entering the room with the drinks.

"And Amber is unique?"

"Better then carrot."

Peter laughed lightly. "I see you've got some books on astronomy…"

"Oh god, don't get him started…" Mary groaned, when Peter gestured to the bookcase.

"You interested in space?" Marshall questioned.

"I used to be…Had a telescope and everything when I was younger."

"I have one set up in the backyard if you want to come take a look."

Mary rolled her eyes once again; anyone who knew Marshall would say he was just being a good host and that he loved talking to people about their interests but Mary knew him better than most. She knew he was trying to get Peter at the way so she could talk to Brandi alone. Judging by Peter's reaction, he worked out her husband's plan.

"You ladies don't mind waiting ten more minutes before dinner, do you?" Marshall questioned; his way of checking that Mary was okay with being left alone with Brandi.

"No, go ahead, geek boy." She told him, her word softened by the small smile she gave him.

Once they had left the room, Mary took a seat beside Brandi.

"We got you a present." Brandi told her. "A wedding gift."

Mary looked at her in surprise. "You didn't have to do that…"

"Peter suggested it." Brandi shrugged and reached down into her beg to pull out an envelope.

"Maybe I should wait till Marshall is here…"

"No, open it now." Brandi told her. "I need to explain it."

Mary frowned a little but did as she was told. After opening the envelope, she pulled out a piece a paper which looked like a confirmation email.

"Peter thought that you guys might not have had chance to have a honeymoon, what with how it all happened…So, I called your boss and he agreed to give you the weekend off." Brandi told her. "We thought you might like to get away now that Marshall is feeling better and everything…"

Mary stared at her in shock. "You booked us a weekend away?"

"It's to Georgia …"

"Georgia?" Mary repeated.

"I know it's a long way for just a weekend but we got you on a flight Friday so you can have longer there…" She added. "I remember how much fun we used to have there when we were kids…I thought you might like to go back…"

Jinx's parents used to live in Savannah, Georgia; Brandi and she used to spend every summer there until Mary was 12. It was the best time of their childhood because whenever they were there, they didn't have to worry about not having enough food for dinner or that the electricity would be cut off.

"If you don't want to go then we can cancel it…" Brandi told her when she stayed silent. "You can choose somewhere else or we did think about getting you a gift card…"

"No, Brandi I love it…" Mary assured her. "Marshall will as well…all those historic things to do…"

"Okay, good…" Brandi gave her small smile before looking down at her hands "Mare?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm sorry…"

"You don't need to…"

"No, I do… When Marshall came to the house earlier…He said that you weren't happy with Raph….and that I knew that you wasn't." She told her. "He was right…I did know…I was worried about you but whenever I said to people about it, they ignored it…said that you were just being you…I'm sorry I believed them."

Mary sighed. "Brandi, there was nothing you could have done anyway…I choose to stay with Raph…I shouldn't have let things get that far…I didn't love him and I knew I didn't but I wanted to."

"Why?

"Because I wanted to a normal life…I wanted someone to be there for me no matter what…I didn't want my life to turn out like Mom's...I wanted it to turn out like Nan's and Grandpa's." She held up the email. "I thought I could make it happen with Raph but it didn't."

"But it did with Marshall?"

"Something happened in Vegas… We meet some friends who thought we were a couple so we went along with it…At first, we were messing around, trying to embarrass each other but after a while….I don't know, I guess I just realized the reason it wasn't working with Raph was because I didn't want it with him…I wanted it with Marshall."

"Why didn't you tell us?" Brandi questioned.

"I owed it to Raph to tell him first…He's a good guy, it was the least he deserved." Mary replied. "I thought if I waited until he got back, then it would hurt him less…I guess, I was wrong."

"So, it's not because you don't want us in your life anymore?"

"No, Brandi…It was never about you or Mom or even Raph…" Mary told her. "It about Marshall and me…About us doing what's right for us….You are my sister, I will always be there for you but if you can't accept Marshall then…"

"I like Marshall…Always have."

"So, then we're okay?" Mary questioned.

Brandi nodded. "We're okay."

"Good, now let's go rescue Peter from my geek of a husband…" Mary stood up. "I'm starving."

Once they dragged the two men away from the stars, they sat down to eat. Brandi told them all about what she was doing in school and by dessert, the past seven weeks of not talking was all forgotten about.

"Did you give her the gift?" Peter asked Brandi.

"She did…I love it, thank you." Mary answered.

"What gift?" Marshall looked at her.

"Brandi and Peter got us a weekend away in Savannah, Georgia."

"Really? Wow…thanks but why Georgia?"

"I'll explain later." Mary told him. "But at least we get that honeymoon you wanted."

"Yeah and it might be our only chance for a while…" He replied, thinking how difficult it would be with their jobs and a baby. Again, Mary shot him a look and kicked under the table. "Ow!"

"Can't you just tell us?" Brandi rolled her eyes.

"Tell you what?" Mary looked to her.

"That you're having a baby." She replied. "Marshall is really bad at keeping it a secret anyway!"

"Nice going, doofus!" Mary hit him around the back of the head.

"Hey!" He exclaimed. "I kept quiet for 7 weeks now!"

"Wait, so you actually are pregnant?" Peter asked.

Mary sighed. "Yes, almost 11 weeks along."

"Wow, congratulations."

"I got one more gift." Brandi announced, standing up to get her bag.

"Brandi, you shouldn't be wasting your money…" Mary started.

"Oh shut up…It's not for you." Her sister replied, returning with a small gift bag and handed it to her.

Mary pulled out a small white baby grow with the words 'My Auntie Rocks' on front. "You already knew I was pregnant?"

"I guessed…from what Marshall said earlier."

"What happened to, it's bad luck to tell people before the 12th week?"

"I uh…" He stuttered a little before sighing, "I think we should all remember what good I've done today….I got you two talking and I cooked dinner…"

Mary leaned forward and shut him up with a kiss. "You're still doing the washing up."

"How is that any different to any other night?"

Brandi retook her seat with a smile on her face and just watched them. She hadn't lied when she said she always liked Marshall and part of that was because she loved seeing the two of them together. They not only knew how to take care of each other but how to make each other laugh…How to make each other happy… Brandi wondered how didn't noticed they were perfect for each other before now.

_**XxXxX**_

That night, Marshall climbed into bed beside Mary and shut of the lamp before turning to face her.

"Do moths have brains?" She questioned.

"Umm, what?"

"Moths, do they have brains?" She asked again. "Before you came in, there was one flying around…"

"And?"

"And it kept dive bombing me…" She replied. "I was just wondering if it was doing it on purpose..."

"You were probably in its way." Marshall yawned.

"I was just led here!" She claimed. "Maybe in its past life, I did something to piss it off."

"Mary?"

"Yeah?"

"You're thinking way too much about the motivation of a moth." He told her. "It's attracted to light…It was probably just trying to get to the lamp."

"And you said I lack imagination, earlier…" She replied sarcastically.

"So, are you going to tell me why we're going to Georgia?"

"Brandi and I used to go there when we were kids to stay with our Grandparents." She moved closer to him and picked up his hand. "I remember one summer…Brandi was only about four and when Jinx came to pick up and take us home, she threw a fit because she didn't want to leave…"

Marshall laced his finger with hers and squeezed her hand reassuringly, waiting for her to continue.

"In New Jersey, we kept moving from place to place and never really had enough money…It was nice with our Grandparents…they spoilt us and took care of us….It was the same year, they had a big bust up with Mom…I don't know what it was about but I heard my Nan asking Mom to move back home but she wouldn't…then when Brandi started screaming, Mom made me help her drag her to the car."

"You didn't want to stay either?" He asked softly.

"No, I did but…"

"But what?"

"I didn't know if my Dad would think to look for us there." She admitted. "So, I told Brandi we had to go back to New Jersey…"

"Mare…"

"I wished we had stayed though…It was the only time we were happy." She told him. "A few months after that, my Grandparents were in a car accident…They both died and we never got to see them again."

"I'm sorry." He whispered, stroking her cheek gently and he realized she was crying.

"You'll like Savannah…I'll show you where we used to go."

"I'm looking forward to it."

She let go of his hand so she could lay her head on his chest and he wrapped both his arms around her; holding her tightly.

"Thank you for tonight." She mumbled, sleepily.

"Anytime." He replied, kissing the top of her head.

**TBC**

**Only one or two more chapters left…Please review and let me know what you think! **


	16. Chapter 16

**Okay, so here's the last chapter! A big thank you to everyone who has read reviewed and added this to their favorite/alert lists. **

**This update turned out a lot longer then I planned. I hope you enjoy it…It is really long! Please review and let me know what you think! **

**Enjoy! **

**What Happens in Vegas **

Mary sat down on the edge of the swimming pool and rolled her jeans up before lowering her feet into the water. Leaning back on her hands, she looked around the backyard. They had moved into this house six months ago, after the sale of her house. They had been happy in Marshall's house and were not looking to move but he had been checking this place out as a potential house for a witness when it had been deemed too expensive and too far from any local amenities.

The minute he had walked through the door, he knew it was perfect for Mary and him. So, he went back with her and showed her around the four bedroom house with a spacious kitchen, living room and a bigger yard with a pool….

"_Just imagine what it would be like to live here…" Marshall said, pulling her by the hand through the door. _

"_Marshall, we have a house…" She huffed but casted an eye around and had to admit the hallway did feel quite welcoming. _

"_Yeah but just think this could be our house…Where our kids grow up…" _

"_Kid, singular…not plural." She corrected letting him lead her through the living room and dining room, listening to him spouting details and idea where they could place what. _

_Her mouth fell open when they reached the kitchen; it was huge, had all the mod-cons and looked brand new. _

"_Think of all the meals we could cook in here." Marshal said, grinned, knowing her love for food._

"_Jesus…" Mary wondered around the room, running her hand along one of the counters. "Even I want to cook in here." _

_He laughed and steering her across the room to two patio doors which lead to the backyard. _

"_Our house at the moment doesn't have a pool….and there so much space out here that we could put up a swing set and there's enough room to run around to keep any kid happy." _

"_You have this all figured out, don't you?" _

"_Yes." He took her hand again and pulled back inside. "Let me show you upstairs…" _

"_Marshall…" _

"_Mare, just go with it." _

_She sighed and groaned but followed him without complaint up the stairs. _

"_Four bedrooms." He told her. "Master bedroom has an en-suite." _

"_What do we need four bedrooms for?" She scowled. "That's just inviting people to stay over..." _

_He laughed. "One for us…one for the baby…we could use one as an office and the fourth, a guest room." _

"_An actual guest room? That's like an open invitation!" _

_He rolled his eyes and pushed open a door. "Wouldn't this be perfect for the nursery?" _

"_It's a room, Marshall…" She replied as they stood in the center. _

"_Just use a little imagination... Maybe some animals painted on the walls…" He moved past her, brushing his hand across her stomach as he went to the corner. "We could put the crib here….the changing table over there…."_

"_We need to actually own that stuff before we put it anywhere…"_

"_Mare, come on! It's perfect for us!" _

"_Okay, fine…I admit, it's a great house but can we even afford it?" _

"_With the money we get from selling our houses we could…" _

"_We're a few months away from having a baby… We have a house….Is it wise to spend all our money on something we don't need?" _

"_Exactly… In three months' time our little family is going to grow and we need somewhere we can settle down…This area is perfect for us…quiet and not very likely we'll run into someone from work…" He reasoned. "And I have savings…We don't need to worry about money…" _

"_I'm not taking the money you've worked for…" _

"_Mary, forget about the money." He told her. "Thinking about this house…about us living in this house…about our son growing up in this house." _

_She looked around the room again and then back to him, his excitement was very obvious. "Okay, doofus…Calls the realtor." _

They sold Marshall's house as quickly as possible, so they could move in plenty of time before the baby arrived. Marshall enlisted help from Stan, Bobby D and Peter to move everything in one day and then he spent the following weekend working on the nursery.

Three months after the move Nicholas Marshall Mann was born.

She shuddered, thinking back to that day. She had been put on maternity leave only a week before at Marshall's request and against her strong protest. She was two weeks away from her due date, felt fine and was showing no sign of labor.

"_Stan said he would go with Clarkson to Phoenix…I'll stay in the office." Marshall told her as he chopped vegetables. _

_She rolled her eyes. "Marshall, you've been training him for six weeks and this is his first witness that he has to transfer to court." _

"_Stan can handle it." _

"_I know Stan can but it's not fair on Chris after you've worked so closely with him." _

_He sighed. "I don't like leaving you." _

"_I've got another week before the sprog is born." _

"_He could come early." _

"_It's one night, Marshall…" _

"_But…"_

"_And it'll be for your own safety…"_

"_What?" He turned to face her._

"_I'm telling you now, if you ask one more time if I'm feeling okay or if I need something…" _

"_I'm just trying to take of you both…" He frowned. _

"_I know." She softened slightly. "But you're driving me crazy!" _

"_Crazy?" _

"_I love you, I do…but the next time you open a door I'm going to slam it into your face…" _

"_Nice!"_

"_I'm sorry but I never could put up with any of that before…why would you think I would now?" She threw her hands up in the air. "I'm pregnant…It's a condition, not an illness." _

"_Okay, I get it." He returned to preparing dinner. _

"_Really?" She questioned, feeling guilty now for snapping at him. _

_He shot her a smile. "You're right, if I would have tried to do any of this a year ago, I'd be eating through a straw…" _

_She watched him uncertainly. "Okay…" _

"_So, I won't open doors for you…or carry things….or make you breakfast in bed…" _

"_No, wait…" _

"_Or cook dinner…" _

_She crossed the room and turned him to face her, noting the stupid grin on his face. "I wouldn't go that far…Remember I'm eating for two and it's your kid that's renting a room inside my womb." _

"_Okay, I'll make sure you're both well feed…" He agreed. "And I'll try to rein in the doting husband and father routine." _

"_That's all I ask." She leaned up to kiss him quickly. "And go to Phoenix with Chris…I know out of all the dweeb newbies they gave you, you like him…that you see him as some kind of protégée…" _

"_Are you sure you will be okay?" _

"_Yes." _

"_And you promise to call if there are any signs…" _

"_Of course."_

"_Mary, I mean it…" _

"_I promise, okay…" She rolled her eyes. "Like I would let you miss a second…If I'm going to be in hell then you'll be right there with me." _

"_I'll call Stan and let him know…" _

"_Great… but not now…Now you have to feed your pregnant wife." _

"_Yes, dear…" _

Mary heard footsteps coming towards her but she didn't turn around, she knew who it was. She still didn't move when there was the clink of glass being set down on the patio stone beside her or when she felt someone sit behind her and another pair of legs joining hers in the water.

"If you push me in, I'm taking you with me." She warned; her hands gripping on his arms that were wrapper around her waist.

"Would I do a thing like that?" Marshall laughed slightly, resting his chin on her shoulder.

"Yes…In fact, you have previous."

"You've normally done something to do deserve it."

"That's true…" She shrugged. "Nicky asleep?"

"Yup, out like a light."

When he pulled an arm away from her, she watched him pick up one of the two champagne glasses which was placed next to the baby monitor.

"I shouldn't drink when I'm breastfeeding…" She said when he handed it to her.

"I checked…One drink won't do any harm." He assured her. "It's a special occasions."

"Our anniversary is tomorrow, not today." She sipped the champagne.

"Yeah but we got engaged a year ago today."

"Did you ever think that night that we would end up married?"

"Never." He replied honestly. "You've surprised me with all this."

She let out a small laugh and led her head back on his shoulder. "I've surprised myself with all this…I'm surprised at how easy it is…how right it feels."

He tightened his arms around her. "It's been a good year."

"It's been a crazy year…" She mumbled. "There are times when I look at Nicky and still can't believe that he belongs to us."

"Well, you just need to look at his eyes to know who his mom is."

"It's only his eyes that he gets from me…The rest of him is all you." She knew without even looking that he was smiling proudly.

She placed the champagne glass down again and settled back into his arms with a contented sigh. She wondered where they would be now if they hadn't gone to Vegas that weekend. Would they have ended up together anyway? How long would it have taken for them both to own up to their true feelings?

"Did you speak to Brandi about tomorrow?" He asked, breaking the silence.

"Yeah, her and Peter will be here."

They had decided to have a party to celebrate their first wedding anniversary, inviting Marshall's family and a few friends from work. Mary hadn't been too enthusiastic about it but Marshall insisted, since none of them were there for the wedding.

"And Jinx?"

Mary sighed. "Yes, I've invited Jinx…."

"Hey, you didn't have too…."

"But?" She guessed.

"But she is trying."

"I know."

It took two months before Jinx sent a message via Brandi that she wanted to talk to Mary and explain why she had reacted like she did. Mary sent a message back saying she wasn't interested; Marshall supported her decision but made sure she knew he would no matter what she decided. It wasn't until Mary was seven months pregnant that she got a phone call saying Brandi had been in car accident that things changed…

"_Mary, slow down…" Marshall told her, jogging along to the hospital corridor to keep up with her. "It's not good for the baby." _

_She only stopped when they reached the nurses' desk. "Can I help you?" _

"_I got a call to say my sister Brandi Shannon was brought in." She managed to get out between breaths. _

"_Let me check where she is…" The nurse replied._

_Mary placed her hands on the base of her spine, trying to catch her breath and noticed Marshall giving her a look._

"_I know I know…I'm seven months pregnant and can't go running around…You don't need to remind me, your kid is doing for you." _

_He put his own hand to her back and keened the tight muscles and kissed the top of her head. "She'll be fine, Mare." _

"_Miss Shannon is still in the emergency room and is waiting for some stitches." The nurse told them. _

"_So, she's going to be okay?" Mary questioned. _

"_The doctor will be able to tell you more." She replied. "Now, if you carry on down the corridor and turn left you should be able to find her..." _

"_Thank you." Marshall smiled at her and kept his hand on his wife's lower back as they walked in the direction they were told. They had to ask another nurse before they found the cubical Brandi was in. _

"_Squish, are you okay?" Mary asked, straight away but then stopped halfway to the bed when she noticed Jinx was there with her sister. _

"_I'm fine… Just hit my head." Brandi told her. _

"_What happened?" Marshall questioned, glancing at Jinx once._

"_The guy in front of us stopped suddenly…We went right into the back of him." _

"_Us? We?" Mary repeated._

"_Mom was in the car with me." _

_Mary looked at Jinx again. "Are you okay?" _

"_I'm fine…Not a scratch." Jinx gave her a weak smile. "Look at you….You got so big…" _

_Mary just raised an eyebrow at that comment and Marshall gripped onto the back of her shirt; she knew it was his silent request for her to play nice._

"_I didn't mean….I meant….Brandi told me about that baby…" Jinx stuttered a little. _

"_Oh my god…" Brandi muttered, rolling her eyes. _

"_Have you managed to get hold of Peter?" Marshall asked turning back to Brandi to changing the conversation. _

"_He's on his way." _

"_Good, good…" _

"_Why don't I get us all some coffee?" Jinx offered. _

"_I'll help you…" Marshall said before Mary could reply. _

"_Actually, there was something I wanted to talk to you about." Brandi looked at him. _

"_Him?" Mary questioned. "What?" _

"_Just something…" She shrugged. "Can't you go?" _

"_Fine..." She sighed loudly and looked at Jinx in annoyance. "Well….Lets go." _

"_Okay, good…"_

_Marshall made sure to catch Mary's eye to check she was really okay with going with her mother and she squeezed his hand gently in reply, before releasing it and walking down the corridor ahead of Jinx. _

"_Mare?" Marshall called after her. "Remember to make yours decaf."_

"_Shut up." She answered without turning around. _

_Marshall smirked and looked to Brandi. "So, was there something you wanted to talk about or was it just a ruse to get those two talking?" _

"_I figured if they started arguing it's probably better for my head that it wasn't here and that they probably wouldn't shout as loud as normal since they're in a hospital…" _

"_This is Mary we're talking about here…" _

"_That is true." Brandi agreed but then shrugged. "Ah, they'll figure it out._

"_Mary, sweetheart…can we sit down for a minute." Jinx gestured to a table before Mary had chance to get in the queue. _

"_Fine but not for long…I want to get back to Brandi." She knew Jinx would want to talk as soon as Brandi suggested that they should go together; she just wasn't sure what she was going to say to her mom. _

"_I can't believe you're going to have a baby...Brandi said you found out it was going to be a boy…Do you have a name picked out?" _

"_Yes." Mary answered, slowly lowering herself into a chair._

"_Oh?" Jinx sat opposite. "Well, are you going to tell me?" _

"_No." She replied abruptly but was then surprised at the wave of guilt she felt when she saw Jinx's face fall. "We're not telling anyone…not until he gets here and we know it fits." _

_Jinx smiled slightly. "Well, you're looking really good…" _

"_Marshall is taking good care of me." Mary couldn't help but say. _

"_I'm glad." Jinx replied. "Mary, can I explain why…?" _

"_Why what?" She cut her off. "Why you felt you had the right to judge me and my life?" _

_Jinx sighed. "I know it must have seemed like I was out of line but I just didn't want you to get hurt like I did…" _

"_Are you crazy?" Mary stared at her. "Are you honestly comparing my marriage to yours?" _

"_All the lies and cheating…I've been there…." _

"_Lies and cheating?" Mary repeated. "You say that as if it's been going on for years…" _

_Jinx held up her arms, telling her, she didn't know what to think. _

"_Listen to me, I lied…I lied to Raphael, I lied to you and Brandi…I lied to Marshall….And yes, I cheated on Raphael but it was complicated." She leaned over the table, closer to Jinx. "Do you hear that? I did…It was me…" _

"_Mary…" _

"_Marshall is not Dad and I am not you." She continued. "I messed up…It nearly cost me the most important person in my life and he's managed to move on, so forgive me for not giving a damn if you can't…That's your problem." _

"_I just want to make things right." _

"_Then Marshall is off limits…You never speak to him the way you did or talk about him like that again." She said firmly and sat back, laying a hand on her stomach. "If you ever want anything to do with this kid then you respect that our relationship is real." _

"_I'll apologies to him but not because I want to know my grandchild but because I was wrong." Jinx admitted. "I was just trying to look out for you but I was out of line."_

_Mary looked at her for a moment, trying to work out if she was genuine or not but then decided she was too tired to care right now. "We better get those coffees and get back." _

"_Of course." Jinx stood up and followed her daughter to the coffee counter. _

"Apart of me wonders whether that accident was real or if Brandi and you just tricked me into talking to Jinx…" Mary claimed, glancing behind her to look at him.

"Me?" He questioned. "It had nothing to do with me…If fact, I offered to go with Jinx to get the coffees that day."

"Ah but it could have been part of your master plan…"

"Mare, you really need to stop watching Diagnosis Murder all day…"

"Hey, you try being stuck on maternity leave…"

"You have to admit that Jinx has been helpful…" Marshall steered the conversation back on track.

"If you say so…"

"If it wasn't for her, you would have never had known you had gone into labor."

"I think the little person shooting out of my body might have given me a hint."

"You know what I mean…"

"I knew... I just wasn't ready…" She replied.

"It's not the kind of thing you can reschedule."

"Tell me about it." She muttered. "I hated that day."

"The day our son was born?" He looked at her in surprise.

"He was born at 9:26pm so technically that's the night…" She answered. "But the day was horrible….I didn't know what to do and it hurt so much…and you weren't there."

He pulled her closer to him again and tightened his hold on her. "I really am sorry for that…"

_Mary shifted for what seemed like the hundredth time, trying to get comfortable on the couch but no matter how she sat or led down, it was no use. Amber had got fed up with all the movement and gone to find somewhere peaceful to sleep but not before shooting Mary an annoyed look; which Mary returned. _

_She groaned when she heard the doorbell and struggled to get to her feet. _

"_I'm coming!" She yelled, when the bell rang again before she could reach the door and when she pulled it open she found Brandi and Jinx stood there. _

"_Jeez, took your time…" Brandi commented, stepping inside the house. _

"_You try carrying around an extra 100 pounds and see how fast you move." Mary shot back. _

"_You have not gained 100 pounds." Brandi scoffed._

"_Feels like it." _

"_You look wonderful, Darling…" Jinx assured her. "Exactly how a 9 months pregnant woman should look." _

"_Thanks, Mom…I think…" She replied. "What are you guys doing here anyway? I thought I told you I wasn't up for going out to lunch." _

"_We thought we would bring it to you…" Brandi held up a takeout bag. "Plus, Mom hasn't been here before…" _

"_Well, you can give her the guided tour…I need to sit down…" Mary headed back to the couch. "Watch out for the cat though…she's in a mood."_

"_Are you feeling okay?" Jinx questioned, following her. _

"_I'm fine…Just tired and achy." _

"_Not sleeping too well?" _

"_Marshall had to go out of town yesterday for the night…" _

"_Aw and you missed him too much to sleep?" Brandi said sweetly as she laid out their lunch on the coffee table._

"_I was going to say that since he's not here I had to do everything myself…" She wasn't about to admit that Brandi was right and she could not get comfortable sleeping on her own. _

"_Well, now we're here you can just put your feet up and rest…." Jinx told her. "We'll take care of you."_

"_Yay…" She twirled her finger around sarcastically but then suddenly sat up straight and winced in pain. _

"_Mare?" Brandi looked at her in concern. "You okay?" _

"_Yep…" She gritted her teeth. "Just a bit of cramp…" _

"_You sure?" _

"_Yeah, nothing to worry about…" She let out a long breath. _

"_Maybe I should call Marshall…" Brandi shot Jinx an unsure look. "Get him to come home." _

"_No, he's working." Mary shook her head. "You'll just freak him out when he needs to concentrate on work." _

"_But Mary…" _

"_Brandi, do not call him!" She said firmly. "This is normal." _

"_Well, if you're sure…" Brandi said, still unconvinced. "Can I get you anything? Something to eat or drink?" _

"_No, I just want to sleep…" She led down on the couch. "You two can do what you want." _

"_Are you sure you don't want me to call Marshall?" Brandi asked, in concern. _

"_Brandi…" _

"_Okay, fine." She sat down in the chair opposite and looked at Jinx who just shrugged, helplessly. Since Brandi's car accident, Mary's relationship with her mom had improved but Jinx knew she still wasn't completely forgiven. _

_Three hours had passed and Mary's pain was getting worse. She could not lie down and couldn't get comfortable sat up either so she was pacing around with her hands on the base of her back. _

"_Mary, this is crazy…" Jinx told her. "You're in labor…" _

"_No…" She shook her head. "Not for another week…" _

"_Mary, you need to listen to me." Jinx stood in front of her to stop her pacing. "A lot of babies come early…He's just in a hurry to get here, it's going to be okay." _

"_But…" She started but was cut off by another contraction. _

"_I'm calling an ambulance." Brandi announced, reaching her for cell._

"_No!" Mary said, bent over and clutching her stomach. _

"_Mary…"_

"_Call Marshall…I need Marshall!" _

_Jinx nodded, telling Brandi to do as Mary said. "Okay, honey…You need to calm down…"_

"_I am calm…" She said between breaths. "I can't do this…" _

"_You can." Jinx insisted. "You have to." _

"_Okay, I called Marshall…" Brandi re-entered the room. "It went straight to voicemail." _

"_What?" _

"_Mary, relax…" _

"_No, call him again…"_

"_Okay." Brandi pressed a couple of buttons on her cell phone and put it to her ear. "Voicemail." _

_Mary grabbed her own cell phone off the coffee table and held it out to her. "Call Chris Clarkson…" _

"_Who's Chris Clarkson?" Brandi questioned. _

"_Brandi!" _

"_Okay, okay." _

"_Mary, honey…We need to get to the hospital." Jinx told her. "Do you have a bag ready?" _

"_A blue sports bag under the stairs…" _

"_Okay, I'll go get it." Jinx guided her over to the couch. "Why don't you try and sit down." _

_Mary let herself be pushed down but as soon as Jinx stepped away, she got to her feet again and continued to pace. _

"_Mare, I couldn't get hold of that Chris guy either…I left both of them a message asking them to call back right away." Brandi told her._

"_Oh god…This can't be happening…" _

"_What can I do?" Brandi took her hands. "What do you need?"_

"_Marshall." _

"_I'm sure he'll call back any minute now." Brandi tried to assure her._

"_We need to go to the hospital…" Jinx reappeared with the bag. "It'll be quicker to drive ourselves…Come on…" _

"_But…" _

"_Marshall will meet us at the hospital." Brandi claimed, pulling her towards the door. "Let's go." _

"I just knew you would go into labor when I was away." Marshall picked up his champagne glass and finished it off. "As soon as I saw I had missed calls from Brandi and Stan…"

Mary laughed. "I think Stan would have sent a jet to make sure you got back on time."

"You scared the hell out of him, Mare…" He replied. "He told me that last time he was that scared was when he was caught up in a hostage situation with three armed robbers."

She rolled her eyes. "I was the one in labor…Why is everyone acting like they were worst off."

"I think they got a little freaked seeing you scared…They're so used to you being in control."

"I wasn't scared." She claimed. "Its childbirth…women have done it for thousands of years…"

"You weren't scared?" He questioned.

"No, I was in pain…A lot of pain and everyone was annoying the hell out of me…asking stupid questions and all poking and prodding…" She shrugged. "I guess I was a little worried when no one could get hold of you…"

"_Well, Mary, you're three centimeters dilated…" The doctor informed her as she stood up straight. "Why don't you try and get some rest?" _

"_Rest?" She repeated. "How can I rest?" _

"_I know it must sound crazy but you need to save your strength for later… "She advised and then looked at Jinx and Brandi stood beside the bed. "How about a massage…that sometimes helps." _

"_Okay…" Brandi replied, nervously. _

"_I'll come back and check on you soon." She smiled and patted her on the arm. _

"_Give me my phone…" Mary held out her hand. _

"_Your boss said he would track Marshall down and have him here soon." Jinx told her but Brandi handed over the cell phone. "He said he should be on his way back anyway." _

"_Yeah, don't worry, Mare…Marshall wouldn't miss this." _

_Mary wasn't listening to them and felt like crying then she heard Marshall's voicemail answer his cell. When she heard a knock on the door, she was sure it would be Marshall walking in but instead it was Stan. _

"_Where's Marshall?" She asked her boss straight away. _

"_How are you doing?" He ignored her question. "This is all pretty exciting!" _

"_Stan?" _

"_Eleanor sends her love…" He continued. "Is there anything I can get you?" _

"_My husband's location would be nice!" She gritted her teeth and groaned loudly when she was hit by another contraction. _

"_Breathe through it, honey…" Jinx tried to take hold of her hand but Mary pushed her away. _

"_Where the hell is Marshall?" She exclaimed. _

_Stan sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. Mary fell back against the pillows again and looked at him closely. _

"_Stan…What is it?" She asked. "What's happened? Where's Marshall?" _

"_Okay, I'll tell you but you got to promise not to overreact…" _

"_Overreact?" She repeated. "What's going on?" _

"_No one can get hold of him…Both his and Chris' phones go straight to voicemail and the marshal's office in Phoenix said they left there, eight hours ago." _

"_Eight hours?" She repeated. "Stan, it's a six hour drive…seven if they made a couple of stops…" _

"_I've got Eleanor trying to trace their car and I've put a report for local law enforcement to keep an eye out for them…" Stan told her. "But Mary, they're an hour late….I'm sure they've just had car trouble or stopped longer for lunch…" _

"_Why aren't they answering their phones then?" Brandi questioned, earning an elbow in the ribs from Jinx._

"_Iron in the mountains." Mary muttered. _

"_What?" They looked at her. _

"_Iron in the mountains…It messy with the signals or something." She explained. "Marshall told me." _

"_See…There you go…" Stan smiled. _

"_That's why we couldn't call for help when he got shot." _

"_Mary…Don't go there." Stan told her and frowned when he saw her swing her legs off the bed and stood up. "Where are you going?" _

"_Home." _

"_What?" Brandi tried to stop her from moving away from the bed. "Mary, don't be crazy!" _

"_I'm not having this baby today." She told them. "I'll come back when Marshall is here." _

"_Mary, sweetie…You are already in labor…" Jinx added. "You haven't got a choice." _

"_No, Marshall can't miss this." _

"_What are you going to do? Cross your legs and hope for the best?" Brandi asked. _

"_I just want to go home…" Mary said calmly but fell back against the bed and cried out in pain. _

_Brandi grabbed her hand in support. "Mary, this kid is coming whether you like or not…You cannot go home." _

"_But…" _

"_She's right…" Stan joined in. "Everything is going to be fine, Mary…."_

"_But Marshall…"_

"_He's on his way…" _

"_How do you know?" _

"_Because I know him." He replied softly. _

"_What if something has happened and he can't come?" Mary asked, taking a shaky breathe. _

"_That day he got shot…What was the first thing he did after he hit the ground?" _

"_Stood back up…" _

"_To do what?" _

"_Protect me." _

"_Now, do you honestly believe there is anything in this world that can stop Marshall getting to you when you and his son need him?" _

_She sighed but didn't speak. She hated feeling so helpless and emotional. She hated that they had to see her like this. _

"_I know Marshall wouldn't want you to worry about him…He would want you to take care of that baby of yours." Stan finished. "So, no more of this crazy talk about leaving, okay?" _

"_Can you call Eleanor?" She asked, quietly. "Find out the latest."_

_He nodded. "Of course…I'll be right back."_

"_Mary, why don't you get back on the bed?" Jinx suggested. "Maybe just close your eyes for a little while." _

_She did as she was told, turning her back to her family and placed one hand on her stomach protectively but she didn't sleep. _

_Another hour passed quickly and her contractions were getting closer and closer. Stan had gone out four times to make phone calls but each time came back with no new news. _

"_There must be something we can do to help you…" Brandi tried to take her hand but Mary pushed her away. _

"_Get this baby out of me!" _

"_Should we get the doctor back?" Jinx asked her as the sound of Stan's cell phone rang but this time, he didn't leave the room._

"_Tell her I want some drugs!" Mary claimed. _

"_Mary, there's someone who wants to talk to you…" Stan told her, walking to the side of the bed. _

"_Do I look like I want to talk anyone right now?" She snapped and glared at her boss. _

"_Mary?" Marshall's voice came through the loudspeaker from Stan's cell. _

"_Marshall?" She asked, quietly and stopped moving to look at the phone. _

"_Yeah, it's me…" _

"_WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU?" She shouted causing everyone in the room to take a step back. _

"_I'm on my way…I'm about an hour from Albuquerque…" He told her, unfazed by her tone. "How you holding up?"_

"_How do you think?" She exclaimed. "This is your fault…I hate you!"_

"_Mare, I'm sure you're doing great…I know it must be hard…" _

"_You know it must be hard?" She repeated. "Screw you!" _

"_I'll make it up to you…Anything you want." He told her. _

"_You better." _

"_Listen, I need to go but I'll be there soon, okay?" He assured her. "Just keep strong…I love you both." _

"_Marshall?" She said but this time her voice softened. "I'm sorry…I didn't mean what I said…"_

_He laughed lightly. "It's okay, Mare…You're entitled to yell." _

"_I love you." _

"_I know." He replied. "I love you too…so much." _

"_Please, hurry up." _

"_I'm driving as fast as possible…Chris looks like he's going to throw up." He told her. "I'll be there soon." _

"_Okay…" _

"_I love you." He said once more before the line went dead. _

"_I told you he would be okay." Stan grinned and pocketed the phone. _

"_Shut up…" She managed to say before another contraction hit her. _

_For the next 45 minutes, Brandi and Jinx fussed around her while Stan passed and kept an eye on his cell for any more calls. Mary tried to ignore them all and kept looking at the clock on the wall, counting down the minutes until Marshall was there. _

"_Okay, Mary….It looks like it's time to push." The doctor told her, after examining her again. _

"_What? Now?" _

"_Yep, you're going to be meeting your little boy really soon…"_

"_Marshall isn't here yet!" She protested. _

"_I'm sure he'll be along very soon…" Stan supplied, glancing at his phone again. _

"_We haven't got time to wait." She replied and looked around the room. "I'm sorry but two of you will have to leave."_

"_Right, of course…" Brandi looked to Mary, waiting for her choose the person she wanted to stay. _

"_I can't believe this is happening!" Her head fell back against the pillow._

_When she looked up again, she saw Stan tapping away on his phone; probably sending Marshall an update. Jinx looked at her hopefully and Brandi looked incredibly nervous about being the obvious choice._

"_Stan…" Mary finally said. _

"_What do you need?" He asked, looking up from the phone._

"_You to stay…" _

_He stared at her for a second. "Stay where?" _

"_Here…with me…until Marshall gets here." _

"_Wait…What?" He looked to the other woman in the room. "No, Mary…" _

"_Oh god!" She cut him off with another cry. _

"_Mare, we'll be right outside if you need us…" Brandi said quickly before she could change her mind. "Good luck." _

_Her sister kissed her cheek and hurried to the door while Jinx lingered but eventually followed. _

"_Mary, this is not a good idea!" Stan told her. "I'm your boss."_

"_And you sent my husband to Phoenix!"_

"_No! You told him to go!" He protested. "I was going to go…" _

"_If I have to go through this…then so do you!" She glared at him but then reached for his hand when another contraction came. _

"_Okay, Mary….It's time to push." _

"I really wished I had been there to see Stan's face…." Marshall shook his head as he laughed.

"If you had been there, there would have been no look on Stan's face." Mary reminded him.

"I thought he was going to pass out." Marshall continued. "I've never heard him so freaked out before."

"He's a US Marshal…You would have thought he could handle it." She replied. "Anyway, I was the one doing all the hard work."

He ran his hand down her left forearm then linked his fingers through hers; his thumb tracing her wedding band. "He was worth it though, wasn't he?"

"I guess for a baby…he's not too bad." She replied. "It helps, that he's cuter then most…"

Marshall grinned, knowing despite her words that she was smitten by their little boy.

"The real test will be when he's old enough to talk and we find out if he's inherited your ability to spout random crap…"

She knew she should have stopped talking the second she felt his hands more to her waist but by the time she finished the sentence, she felt herself being shoved forward and into the water.

"Marshall!" She exclaimed before she went under. When she came back up, she pushed her hair out of her face and glared at him. "You are so dead!"

He laughed as he stood up. "What you going to do?"

Using both her hands, she splashed him with water. He tried to jump back to avoid it but wasn't fast enough.

"Mature, Mare…"

"As mature as pushing your wife into a swimming pool on our anniversary."

"It's not our anniversary until tomorrow." He smirked before stepping forward and jumping into the pool.

She swam over to him and pushed him back underwater when he surfaced. They fooled around, dunking each other, tickling and laughing loudly. Eventually, Marshall backed away from her, trying to catch his breath.

"Okay, truce…" He held up his hands, pushing his own hair back. "We're probably giving the neighbors a show…"

She swam over to him slowly, looping her arms around his neck and pulling herself as close to him as possible to whisper in her ear. "Better give them something to watch then…"

He moaned as she kissed across his jaw to his lips. His arms went around her to hold her tightly when she wrapped her legs around his waist. He deepened the kiss and was trying to push her wet t-shirt up when they heard a quiet cry coming from the baby monitor.

She sighed and leaned her forehead against his. "Maybe he'll go back to sleep…"

Before Marshall could reply the cry got louder. "Well, he's just a little mood killer, isn't he?"

"He knew his parents were about to get it on…" She said as they both pushed themselves out of the water.

When they stepped back into the house, Marshall handed her a towel which he had ready; telling her that he had planned the midnight swim.

"I'll check on Nicky if you want grab a shower." He offered, pulling off his wet t-shirt.

She leaned up and gave him a quick as she passed him. "Be quick and we'll finish what you started…"

"What I started?" He questioned, following her towards the stairs, towel drying his hair. "You were the one who wanted to give the neighbors something to watch…"

"Like you were complaining…" She shot back.

He shrugged in agreement. "Yeah, I don't know why we're arguing about this."

"So shut up and go see what your son needs." She shoved him in the direction of the nursery when they reached the top of the stairs.

Marshall grinned at her over his shoulder before disappearing into Nicky's room.

"Hey buddy…..What's wrong?" He said softly as he reached into the crib.

As soon as he lifted Nicky up into his arms, the little boy's cries decreased to quiet sobs.

"Hey, it's okay…" Marshall murmured, cradling him closely to him. He had only just feed him before joining Mary in the backyard so he knew he wouldn't be hungry. He quickly checked his diaper and saw he didn't need changing so he moved him to his shoulder, rubbing his back soothingly. "What's the problem? Did you just want a cuddle?"

Mary had heard his voice over the baby monitor and couldn't help but smile. She still wasn't ready to admit it but now she understood what 'the deal' was with babies…Or maybe it was just her baby. All she knew she was couldn't get enough of watching Marshall with Nicky; she just wished she was better at showing him how it made it her feel.

Again, she got lost in thoughts of the day he was born. It had got to the point where she was in so much pain, that she didn't give a damn who knew it….

"_Okay, you really need to push…." The doctor glanced up at her. "After three…"_

"_No…"_

"_One…" _

"_I can't…" _

"_Two…" _

"_Come on, Inspector…" Stan tried to be encouraging but his voice shook a little and he had gone a ghostly white._

"_Three…" _

_Mary pushed as hard as she could even though she just wanted to give up. _

"_Okay….good." The doctor assured her._

"_I can't do this…" She muttered, shaking her head. "Stan, I can't do this…"_

"_Sweetheart, you can." He told her, his hand hovering above her forehead unsure whether to stroke her hair. _

_She was about the protest again when the door flew open. "Marshall…"_

"_I'm here…" He headed towards her. "I'm here…"_

"_Boy am I glad to see you." Stan stepped back to allow him to get to his wife's side. "Good luck….Dad."_

_Marshall swallowed nervous but quickly turned his attention to Mary. "I'm so sorry…" _

"_What happened?" She asked, grasping the front of his t-shirt with one hand and the other moving to his face, gently touching the cut on his forehead. _

"_It's nothing…" He reached up and took her hand from his head, gripping it tightly. "Don't worry it…"_

"_Marshall…" She sat up, moving closer to him. "I can't do this…I can't…"_

"_Sure you can…" He assured her. "Just think about him…think about how soon you'll be able to hold our little boy…how we've been waiting so long for him." _

"_Time to push again, Mary…" The doctor told her. _

"_Oh god…" She groaned._

"_That's it…Come on, Mare…" Marshall brushed her hair back. _

"_I can't believe you talked me into this!" She gripped his hand as tightly as she could._

_He just leaned forward and pressed his lips against her forehead. "You're doing great…" _

"_I'm never allowing you near me again…" _

"_Whatever you say…" He replied, glancing down towards the doctor to see what was going on. _

"_Okay, I can see the head…On the next contraction I need you to push as hard as you can…" _

_Marshall debated with himself whether to stay up by Mary's head or move down so he could get the first glimpse of his son but before he could decide, she was in the middle of another contraction and he didn't think she would let go of his hand even if he wanted to move._

"_That's it, Mare…" He continued to coach, standing up on his toes trying to get a better look. _

"_Great work, Mary…" The doctor looked up to smile. "The head is out….Take a breather before the next contraction…" _

_Marshall inched down the bed a little to get a quick look but immediately returned to her. "He has hair, Mare…Our little boy has hair." _

"_Rules out Stan being the father then…" She muttered, her head falling back against the pillow with her eyes closed. _

_He let out a laughed, reached up to brush a few tears from his eyes before kissing her forehead again. "I love you…" _

_Before she could say anything in reply, she had another contraction. The next couple of minutes were a whirl wind for Marshall. One minute, he was telling what a great job she was doing the next there was high pitch cry filling the room. _

"_Congratulations guys…" The doctor grinned at them. "You have a son." _

"_You did it…" Marshall kissed her quickly. "You did it! I'm so proud of you…" _

"_Marshall?" She reached for him, weakly. "Is he okay?" _

"_He's perfect…" He replied, watched as a nurse whisked him away to be cleaned up. _

"_We'll have him back with you in just a second…" The doctor assured them. _

"_What? Where did he go?" Mary frowned. "What's wrong?" _

"_Nothing, Mare…They're just cleaning him and getting him warm…" _

"_He's crying." _

"_It's normally…" _

"_Go with him." _

"_Mare, he's just over there…" _

"_Go." _

_He kissed her once more before doing as he was told. He was actually eager to check on his son and get a good look at him. Mary watched from the bed, as the nurses and the doctor fussed around her but her eyes were on Marshall. He was stood looking down at the baby, his head titled slightly as he whispered something that she couldn't hear. _

_She turned her attention back to the doctor when she was asked some questioned and when she looked back, she saw Marshall walking towards her; his arms carrying a blue and white blanket. _

"_And here's Mommy…" He whispered, sitting on the edge of the bed and offering the bundle to her. _

_She looked at him once before carefully taking the baby into her arms. He shifted and let out a small cry but settled back down; his bottom lip sticking out a little. She knew she was staring at him with her mouth open but despite finding out eight months early they were going to have a baby, she never really prepared for what she would feel the first time she saw him. _

_She looked up to Marshall again; he was still sat on the bed, facing her with one hand on her legs and the other stroking the baby's cheek. _

"_Are you crying?" She couldn't resist teasing, sniffing back her own tears. "God, you're such a girl…" _

"_You're crying." He shot back. _

"_You try pushing out something the size of a watermelon out your body without your eyes watering." _

"_We're not calling him watermelon." He told her. _

"_No…" She looked down at him again. "So, what do you think? Does he look like a Nicholas?"_

"_Nicky…" Marshall ran two fingers over the little boy's dark hair. "Yeah, it suits him." _

"_Nicholas Marshall Mann…" Mary said softly. "Happy Birthday…" _

Mary found herself walking back down the hall to Nicky's room, leaning against the doorframe; watching Marshall explaining to their son why he needed his rest.

"…And the more you sleep the quicker you grow…then you're bigger we can do so many fun things together…" Marshall whispered, bouncing a little as he walked around the room. "But it's time for you to go to sleep now…I'll tell you more secrets tomorrow when Mommy isn't spying on us."

"I wasn't spying…" She stood up straight and walked over to him when he glanced over his shoulder at her. "I was checking up on you…"

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah, making sure you were teaching him any of your bad habits…" She kissed the top of Nicky's head before Marshall led him back in his crib.

"Bad habits?" He repeated. "What's that? Spouting random crap?"

"Yep, that's the one…" She replied, as they both watched Nicky's eyes slowly closing.

After a few minutes of silence, Marshall put an arm around her. "Just look at him…Look what we did…"

"Yeah…"

"Tell me when you look at him you don't think about how great it would be to have more…"

She rolled her eyes and took his hand, leading him out the room. "Let's just see how this one turns out, okay?"

"I'm pretty sure he's going to turn out great." Marshall grinned, letting her pull him towards their bedroom.

"You do know that just because you knocked me up on our wedding day…doesn't mean you have to do it every year, right?"

He smirked. "I can try though, right?"

"God…you're such a dork!" She pushed him onto the bed before heading for their bathroom.

_**XxXxX**_

The next day, Marshall pulled open the door and grinned when he saw Tom and Lilly stood there with their daughter Sophia. He had kept in contact with Tom over the past year through email and thought it was only right they invited the couple to their first anniversary party.

"Hey, I'm so glad you guys could make it!" Marshall greeted Lilly with a kiss on the cheek and then shook Tom's hand.

"Are you kidding? We wouldn't miss this for the world." Tom replied stepping to the house. "I cannot believe it's been a year since we were in Vegas."

"That was some weekend." Lilly smiled. "We will have to do it again sometime…"

"I'm definitely up for that." Marshall stated and then turned his attention to the two year old in her father's arms. "And you must be Sophia?"

The little girl buried her face in Tom's neck. "She's a little shy."

"Aw, there's no need to be shy…" He told her, holding out his hand. "Hi, I'm Marshall…"

She slowly looked at him, reaching out of her hand towards him. He took it gently and kissed her knuckles, bowing to dramatically causing her to giggle.

"Follow me…" Marshall nodded his head into the house. "We got everything set up in the backyard…Mary's out there with Nicky."

"Are we early?" Tom questioned when they stepped outside and saw no one else.

"No, everyone will be here soon." Marshall assured him.

"Hey guys…" Mary stood up from the mat where she was sat with Nicky under an umbrella. "It's good to see you again…"

"You too…You look great." Lilly replied. "And look at that handsome boy…"

Marshall scooped down to pick Nicky up before handing him to Lilly; both him and Mary were getting used to people wanting to hold him. Marshall was more willing to allow people then Mary; even with their families, she was reluctant.

"You look just like your Daddy, don't you?" Lilly cooed.

"Poor kid…" Tom added, teasingly.

"Thanks, man…" Marshall rolled his eyes. "You want a beer?"

"Yeah, thanks…" Tom followed him over the table where they had a lead out drinks and chips.

"We'll get the barbeque going once everyone gets here…" Marshall told him. "We actually have something to talk to you about before everyone turns up."

"Oh yeah?"

Marshall shared a look with Mary before continuing. "It's not really a big deal but we weren't exactly honest with you Vegas…"

"What do you mean?" Lilly questioned.

"We weren't really together…"

"What? You had broken up?"

"I mean we were never together." Marshall explained.

"I don't understand…" Tom frowned.

Mary sighed. "I lied to you about Marshall being my boyfriend because you kept asking me out…Then when we saw you again last year, I didn't want to look crazy so we just went with it."

"You didn't get married?" Lilly looked between the two of them.

"No, that part was true."

"So let me get this straight…You weren't together…were never together but you still got married?" Lilly asked. "And you're still married…and have a child?"

"That pretty much sums it up…" Mary nodded.

"That's unbelievable…." Her mouth fell open. "Are you serious?"

"We've always been best friends…We had feelings for each other but neither of us was ready to admit it…" Marshall told them. "We got married and just decided to give it ago."

"I knew you were lying about dating Marshall…" Tom pointed at her accusingly.

"Things have been a bit crazy…" Marshall stated. "No one knew for a few months and some people were upset…Everything has settled down now but we thought we should explain in case anyone said anything at the party."

"Well, however it started…I'm just happy for you both." Lilly smiled.

Marshall walked over to Mary, slipping his arm around her. "So, now that's all done with let's on with the party…"

Within the hour, everyone had arrived. Jinx, Brandi and Peter all came together and were now stood talking with one of Marshall's parents. His two brothers, Mark and Danny had also made the trip down with their families to meet Mary for the first time. Stan and Eleanor came with Charlie and Marshall's team of new wit-sec inspectors also turned up.

"So, Shannon...Married for a year and a baby?" Bobby appeared by Mary's side as she watched everyone mingling around. "Who are you and what did Marshall do with the real Mary?"

"You know, Bobby…That's the fourth time you've made that joke since you found out about us….and it's the fourth time that it is not funny."

Bobby laughed. "Well, I still can't believe it…Mary Shannon, tied down willing to a man…."

Mary eyes fell on Marshall as he was showing the baby off to his brothers.

"Mary?" Bobby prompted when she didn't reply and then turned to see what she was looking at. He smirked and shook his head. "Man, you got it bad…"

"Shut it, Dorshowitz." She glared at him before walking off to join her husband and son.

"So, Marshall tells me you were at the hospital with Mary the day Nicky was born…" Jenna said to Jinx after Seth had excused himself to talk to Stan and Brandi and Peter had wondered off somewhere. "I wish I could have been there myself…"

Jinx smiled. "I'm glad I was given the chance…"

"Every girl needs their Mom sometimes…"

"Things have been….strained between Mary and me…" Jinx admitted, unsure how much the other woman knew. "I haven't always been there for her, I've got a lot of making up to do but I'm working on it…"

"Well, I'm sure whatever the problem was, it will all work out…" Jenna said kindly. "She needed you at the hospital and you were there for her."

Jinx laughed quietly and shook her head. "She didn't want or need me…All she wanted was Marshall…"

She glanced across the yard, seeing Marshall holding Nicky so he was facing Mary, who said something to make him laugh which made Nicky smile.

"You have a good son, Jenna…" Jinx told her. "You should be proud of him…"

"Thank you…" She replied, surprised. "We are very proud."

"He's done a lot to help out my girls in the past and I haven't really appreciated it enough but I was wrong." Jinx continued. "I should have been happy that Mary had found someone like him…They're good for each other."

Jenna looked over to the couple in question again in time to see Marshall lean in to his kiss his wife. "They do seem pretty happy…"

Jinx smiled again when they watched Marshall passing Nicky to Mary, giving them both a kiss before join Seth and Stan.

She had fallen in love with her Grandson the second she laid eyes on him but there was a part of her that was concerned Mary wouldn't want her to be involved in his life.

Even though they had started talking again after Brandi's accident, things still weren't great between them. Mary was even more distant with her then she was before. She now knew she had crossed a line with the way she treated Marshall and could not feel guiltier about it.

All doubts about his intensions vanished, the day Nicky was born….

"_Do you think she's had him yet?" Brandi asked, as they were stood in the hallway outside Mary's hospital room. "Mary will not be happy if Marshall misses it." _

"_One of us should be in there with her…" Jinx stated. _

_Brandi screwed up her face. "I don't want to see all of that…I'll end up throwing up….and Mary would probably end up shooting you." _

_She sighed. "I just wish I could do more…" _

"_She'll be fine, Mom…She's in good hands." _

"_Brandi?" _

_They turned and saw Marshall running down the corridor. _

"_Oh my god…what happened?" Brandi asked when she saw the blood on his face. "Are you okay?" _

"_Where's Mary?" He asked, out of breath. _

"_In there." She pointed the door and Marshall didn't hesitate in entering. _

"_Thank god, he made it." Brandi dropped down into a chair in relief as Stan exited the room, looking pale and unsteady on his feet but he was grinning. _

"_How is she?" Jinx questioned. _

"_She's doing great." He assured her. "I am glad to be out of there though…Marshall will take care of them…Don't worry." _

_Jinx moved past him and stood in the doorway, peaking into the room. Marshall had his back to her but she knew he was talking to Mary, she guessed her was encouraging her. She watched him trying to get a look at the baby but refused to let go of Mary to do so. _

_Brandi and Stan immediately joined her when they heard a baby crying. _

"_I'm an Aunt!" Brandi exclaimed. _

_Stan laughed. "Congratulations… I'll be right back…I better call the office with the latest." _

_Jinx still hadn't moved from her spot, watching Marshall handing over the baby to Mary. From even where she saw stood, she could see the love and dedication in his eyes._

"Okay, give me my Godson…" Stan demanded, swooping Nicky out of Mary's arms. "He's getting so big…"

Mary rolled her eyes but couldn't help but share a smile with Eleanor.

"What are your parents feeding you, hey?" Stan said, rocking Nicky gently.

"Cake and chips mainly…" She added sarcastically. "Why? Is that wrong?"

"You mother thinks she's funny…" Stan continued to talk to Nicky. "She's not…No, she's not…"

"Oh god… Please stop with all the cooing…"

Stan sighed and glanced up at her. "I'm a US Marshal….I do not coo."

"You are cooing…just a tad." Eleanor informed him, leaning over his shoulder to get a better look. "But he's just adorable… He should be cooed over."

"He looks like Marshall." Mary commented.

"And you don't think Marshall is adorable?" Eleanor questioned.

"I guess…In a dorky kind of way…" She shrugged. "But I'm married to him…I have to say that…The fact you find him adorable is a little disturbing."

"What's disturbing?" Marshall asked, as he came up behind them.

"You being adorable." Stan supplied.

Marshall looked at them for a few seconds. "I don't really know how to reply to that…"

Mary rolled her eyes. "Don't worry about it…What's the deal with the food?"

"Should be ready in about ten minutes…" He replied. "Dad's taken control of the grill and Mom's supervising."

"We've been waiting ages!" She moaned. "I'm starving."

"Now there's a surprise…." Stan chuckled, thinking about the last time he heard her say those words….

"_Hey guys…Do you mind if I come in?" Stan asked, sticking his head around the door to Mary's hospital room. _

"_No, of course not…come on in." Marshall told him. _

"_I just wanted to stop by to meet the newest member to the team…" He smiled stepping into the room and then looked to Mary. "How do you feel Inspector?" _

"_Like that guy from that movie where the alien bursts out of his body…" She replied, wincing as tried to sit up. "And I'm starving…What's a woman got to do to get a sandwich around here?" _

"_Jinx and Brandi have gone to find you something." Marshall told her, carefully standing up and walking over to Stan with Nicky in his arms. "You want to hold him?" _

"_It's what I'm here for." Stan held out his arm. "Give him to me….Did you settle on a name?"_

"_Nicholas Marshall Mann." Marshall smiled and stepped back to Mary's bed once Stan had a hold of him. "Nicky for short." _

"_Hello, Nicky…" Stan said softly, adjusting the blanket so he could see his face properly. "I'm Stan…I'll be around whenever your parents are driving you nuts because they're good at that…" _

"_Have you spoken to Chris?" Marshall asked their boss. "Is he okay?" _

"_He's fine…Back at the office writing up the report." Stan answered. "I didn't get chance to get all the details about what happened…You want to explain?" _

"_Porter did a runner on the way back." Marshall replied._

"_I thought he was a model witness…" Mary frowned. Ryan Porter had to enter Witness Protection after stumbling across evidence that his boss was involved a big fraud plot. "Why would he run after he's been to court?" _

_Marshall shrugged. "Maybe giving evidence spooked him…Maybe something has happened here…I don't know but he was picked up 40 miles from where we lost him and wasn't talking." _

"_How'd you end with a head wound?" Stan asked. _

"_We had stopped because he said he felt sick…When he got out, he hit me with the car door and grabbed my gun before Chris had chance to get out." Marshall explained. "When I came around Chris was cuffed and he was gone along with our cells and the car." _

"_You got checked out by a doctor, right?" Mary suddenly felt guilty for not asking before. _

"_Yeah, it's nothing." He assured her. "I'm just glad I made it here on time." _

"_Me too." Stan replied. "I was about ready to pass out." _

"_Hey, Stan?" Mary said as Marshall sat beside on the bed. "We've been talking and we were wondering if you would be his Godfather?" _

_He looked up at them quickly. "Are you serious?" _

"_Who else would we ask?" Marshall replied. "You've always been there for both of us and we can't think of anyone better." _

"_I'd be honored." He told them. _

"_You're not going to cry are you?" Mary questioned. "Marshall's cried enough for everyone today…" _

_Her husband shot her a look. "This is the best day of life…You are not going to bait me into an argument." _

"_We'll see…" She smirked at him. _

"_This is what I'm talking about…" Stan whispered to Nicky. "They're completely insane." _

"Hey, Mare…" Brandi walked over to her and took her arm. "Come with me."

"What's happened now?" Mary sighed.

"Nothing, there's just something I need to show you." She shrugged. "You to Marshall."

Marshall shrugged at Mary's questioning look, telling her he had no idea what was going on as they both followed Brandi into the house.

"Okay, Squish, what's so important?"

"I got you a gift."

"Brandi, we told you…We don't want anything." Mary rolled her eyes.

"I know but I saw this and had to get it." She pulled on a cover that was on the counter.

"Oh sweet Jesus." Mary's mouth fell open.

"It's a wedding pie!" Brandi grinned. "Bottom layer is apple…Middle is cherry and top is chocolate."

"This is amazing." Marshall added, moving closer to get a better look.

"I know you guys are pie people….and thought since you didn't have a wedding and never had a cake…so…."

"You do realize that there is no way anyone out there is getting a piece of this." Mary told her.

"Mary…" Marshall gave her a look.

"Hey, just be thankful that I'm willing to share with you."

"You guys do what you want with it." Brandi laughed. "I'm glad you liked it."

"Its pie…Of course we like it." Marshall replied. "Thanks, Brandi…It was really thoughtful of you…"

"I'm going to hide this…" Mary picked up the pies and headed out of the room but Brandi followed her.

"You know, I am happy for you…don't you?" She said to her sister.

Mary looked over her shoulder at her. "Okay, fine you can a small piece of the cherry."

Brandi rolled her eyes. "I'm serious, Mary…I know it's been a rough year for us but I'm glad things worked out like this."

"Me too."

"I mean, at the time I thought Raph was good for you because he loved you but you shouldn't have to work that hard to be happy in a relationship." Brandi continued. "You and Marshall just make sense…It's hard to describe."

"Brandi, we went through all this at the hospital when Nicky was born." Mary sighed. "Do we have to go through it again?"

"_Where'd Marshall go?" Brandi asked, as she entered Mary's room. _

"_He's gone to get some clean clothes and some other stuff." Mary replied. "He'll be back soon." _

"_Oh…" Brandi peered into the portable crib beside the bed. "He's sleeping." _

"_He's had a rough day…" Mary stated. "Where's Mom?" _

"_She went home…didn't want to crowd you." Brandi explained. "I could call her if you like...?" _

"_No, it's fine…" _

"_Mary, she is trying." _

"_I know that but I just had a baby and I'm exhausted." Mary replied. "Things are still awkward between us and I'm too tired to deal with that right now." _

"_Whatever you want." Brandi agreed. "I'm just glad you're talking again…I hope one day, we can all be a normal family…."_

"_We are a family, Squish, that hasn't changed but I don't think we'll ever be normal." Mary claimed. "Besides, normal is for boring people." _

_Brandi smiled. "I guess…" _

"_Listen, I want to thank you for helping out today…I don't know what would have happened if you and Mom weren't at the house."_

"_I didn't do anything…" _

"_You were there." _

"_I still can't believe I'm an Aunty." She looked into the crib again. "He's so small."_

"_You can't believe it?" Mary repeated. "Did you ever think I would be a Mom?" _

"_Yes."_

"_Brandi, seriously…" _

"_I am….You're going to be a great Mom." Brandi insisted. "You raised me." _

_Mary rolled her eyes. "That's different…"_

"_Yeah, you were only a kid and you were forced to do it." Brandi replied. "This time you choose it and you have Marshall...Nicky is a lucky boy." _

_Mary reached over and took her hand, squeezing it gently. "Thanks, Squish…" _

"Hey, Dad…How long until the food?" Marshall joined his father with Nicky in his arms. "If we don't feed Mary soon, she's going to start eating the guests."

Seth laughed and held out his arms. "Give him to me…Burgers are done so you can make her one up."

"Thank god…" Marshall handed over the baby.

"So, we haven't had chance to talk yet…" Seth said, watching him. "How are things going?"

Marshall glanced at him. "They're good…I'm looking forward to be able to sleep for a whole night but other than that…It's great."

"Enjoying fatherhood?"

"Loving it…I knew I always wanted children but I never expected to love him this much…I didn't know it was possible."

Seth smiled. "I know what you mean…"

"Thanks Dad…"

"For what?"

"For just being here." He replied. "I know we don't always understand each other but I do know that if I ever call, you will come…I know people who don't have that relationship with their parents…I'm grateful that I do."

"Marshall, believe me when I say that no matter how different our interests are or how we approach things…You're my son and that's more important than any of that stuff." He told him and handed Nicky back to him. "But if I can give you one piece of advice…"

"Of course…"

"Hold on to him for as long as possible because one day you're going to suddenly realize he's all grown up…They don't stay little for long."

Marshall looked at Nicky before back to Seth. "Thanks Dad."

"Now, go feed your wife… I'll get the rest of this food ready."

Seth kept his eyes on Marshall as he crossed the yard and where Mary was talking to Jenna and his two other sons. He couldn't help but smile, watching his family laughing at something Marshall said when he joined them.

**xXxXx**

After everyone had eaten, Marshall had convinced Mary to share one of the pies Brandi had given them by telling her she could have the chocolate one to herself.

"Speech!" Brandi shouted out after everyone had toasted the couple.

"Are you kidding me?" Mary glared at her sister. "You never ask Marshall to give a speech…We'll still be here at Christmas."

"Thanks, honey…" Marshall said sarcastically. "But I would just like to say thank you to everyone for coming here today and celebrating with us…Thanks to Tom for supplying the tequila a year ago to get us here….And most of all, thank you to my wife for making me the happiest man in the world."

"Now, Mary's turn!" Brandi shouted again.

"Do I have to?" She whined but everyone was watching her expectantly. "Okay, fine…Marshall, I love you and I'm happy we made it a year without killing each other."

"Wow, so romantic, Mare…" Brandi said over the other laughing.

Marshall just grinned and kissed her cheek. It wasn't the longest or the most poetic speech but for Mary to say those words out loud in front of everyone was a big deal.

"I'm still not sharing the chocolate pie with you." She told him.

"Do I get chance to convince you otherwise?" He asked, moving closer to her.

"You could try…" She replied, putting her hands to his chest. "But you'll have to be very good at it…"

"Oh, I can be good…"

As he leant in to kiss her, he noticed a mischievous glint in her eyes but he was too slow to react. The next thing he knew, he was pushed and falling backwards into the swimming pool.

Everyone turned quickly when they heard a splash.

"Oh my god, what happened?" Brandi asked.

"Marshall, are you okay?" Eleanor moved to the edge of the pool as he resurfaced but they all relaxed when they saw he was laughing.

"Mature, Mare…Real mature." He brushed his hair back off his face as he swam to the side.

She smirked. "Payback from the little swim I had last night…"

"I should have seen it coming…" He admitted.

"You should have." She replied, reaching down a hand to help him out but then yelped when instead of pulling himself up, he pulled down into the water. "Marshall…"

"Payback's a bitch…" He told her.

"You are so dead!" She splashed him with water but he grabbed her hands and pulled her to him.

"Have you two completely lost it?" Seth shouted over to them, bouncing Nicky in his arms.

"What did I tell you, Nicky." Stan added from beside him. "You're parents are nuts."

Neither Mary nor Marshall were listening or taking notice of anyone else.

"Happy anniversary, Mrs. Mann…" Marshall whispered, tucking a piece of wet hair behind her ear.

Mary leaned in and kissed him softly then pulled a few millimeters.

"Happy anniversary, Mr. Mann…"

**The End**

**See, told you it was long! I hope you enjoyed reading this story as much as I enjoyed writing it! Thanks again for anyone who reviewed…I've noticed that 84 of you have added this to their alert list! I hope you are all still reading and it would be pretty cool if you could all review! Thanks again! **


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